Highly Selective Detection of Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene Hydrocarbons Using Coassembled Microsheets with Förster Resonance Energy Transfer-Enhanced Photostability.

In this work, highly photostable and fluorescent coassembled microsheets were fabricated from molecules 1 and 2 for sensitive and selective detection of BTX. We demonstrate that Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from nonphotostable 1 to photostable 2 gives rise to the high photostability of 1-2 coassembled microsheets. Furthermore, the combined properties of 1 and 2 components in coassembled microsheets allow distinct responses to BTX and other VOC vapors and thereby yield highly sensitive and selective detection of BTX hydrocarbons via FRET. These findings provide a new approach for the development of photostable fluorescence sensors for hazardous chemicals.