Photo: A solution of the molecular logic gate changes colour from red to white on detection of magnesium (Mg2+) on irradiation with UV light.
Researchers from the Molecular Logic Gates Laboratory in the Department of Chemistry within the Faculty of Science reported a study in the prestigious journal Chemical Communications published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The study demonstrates the proof-of-concept of a red fluorescent molecule that detects and discriminates between sodium (Na+) and magnesium (Mg2+) by emitting orange and white light, respectively. The development of white-light emitting materials is an exciting research field due to their commercial and societal applications in the development of low-energy consuming video displays and lighting devices.
The paper was an invited contribution to a special issue on Chemosensors and Molecular Logic honouring two pioneers of the field, Anthony Czarnik and A. P. de Silva.
The research was performed by Anthony Camilleri (2022) while studying for a Master of Science in Chemistry under the supervision of Prof. David Magri.
The abstract, article HTML and PDF are available .
A white light emitting reconfigurable pyrazoline-naphthalimide logic gate with magnesium, sodium and proton inputs, David C. Magri and Anthony A. Camilleri, Chemical Communications, 2023, 59, 4459–4462.
The research was financially supported by the Endeavour Scholarship Scheme part-financed by the European Social Fund – Operational Programme II – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 “Investing in human capital to create more opportunities and promote the well-being of society”.
