title: Detection of ethanol in alcoholic beverages or vapor phase using fluorescent molecules embedded in a nanofibrous polymer.
abstract: An alcohol sensor was developed using the solid-state fluorescence emission of terphenyl-ol (TPhOH) derivatives. Admixtures of TPhOH and sodium carbonate exhibited bright sky-blue fluorescence in the solid state upon addition of small quantities of ethanol. A series of terphenol derivatives was synthesized, and the effects of solvent polarities and the structures of these π-conjugated systems on their fluorescence were systematically investigated by using fluorescence spectroscopy. In particular, π-extended TPhOHs and TPhOHs containing electron-withdrawing groups exhibited significant solvatochromism, and fluorescence colors varied from blue to red. Detection of ethanol contents in alcohol beverages (detection limit ∼ 5 v/v %) was demonstrated using different TPhOHs revealing the effect of molecular structure on sensing properties. Ethanol contents in alcoholic beverages could be estimated from the intensity of the fluorescence elicited from the TPhOHs. Moreover, when terphenol and Na2CO3 were combined with a water-absorbent polymer, ethanol could be detected at lower concentrations. Detection of ethanol vapor (8 v/v % in air) was also accomplished using a nanofibrous polymer scaffold as the immobilized sensing film.
authors.affiliation: †Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 278-0022, Japan.|‡WPI-International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akamatsu
authors.affiliation: ‡WPI-International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.|§CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan.
authors.forename: Taizo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.affiliation: ‡WPI-International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.affiliation: ‡WPI-International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.affiliation: ∥Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1, Hiyoshi, Kouhoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.affiliation: ∥Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1, Hiyoshi, Kouhoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan.
authors.forename: Seimei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiratori
authors.affiliation: ⊥Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences and Tsukuba Research Center for Interdisciplinary Materials Science (TIMS), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamura
authors.affiliation: ⊥Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences and Tsukuba Research Center for Interdisciplinary Materials Science (TIMS), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nabeshima
authors.affiliation: †Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 278-0022, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.affiliation: †Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 278-0022, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: ‡WPI-International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.|§CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan.
authors.forename: Jonathan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: ‡WPI-International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.|§CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ariga
mesh_terms: D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D044367:Phase Transition; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005740:Gases; D011108:Polymers; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: alcohol; composite; fluorometric detection; nanofiber; phenol