Recent advances in fluorescence chemosensors for ammonia sensing in the solution and vapor phases

Abstract

Developing low-cost and reliable sensor systems for the detection of trace amounts of toxic gases is an important area of research. Ammonia (NH₃) is a commonly produced industrial chemical and a harmful colorless pungent gas released from various manufacturing and processing industries. Continuous exposure to NH₃ vapor causes serious menace to human health, microorganisms, and the ecosystem. Exposure to relatively higher concentrations of NH₃ severely affects the respiratory system and leads to kidney failure, nasal erosion ulcers, and gastrointestinal diseases. Excessive accumulation of NH₃ in the biosphere can cause various metabolic disruptions. As a consequence of this, therefore, suitable sensing methods for selective detection and quantification of trace amounts of NH₃ are of utmost need to protect the environment and living systems. Given this, there have been significant research advances in the preceding years on the development of fluorescence chemosensors for efficient sensing and monitoring of the trace concentration of NH₃ both in solution and vapor phases. This review article highlights several fluorescence chemosensors reported until recently for sensing and quantifying NH₃ in the vapor phase or ammonium ions (NH₄⁺) in the solution phase. The wide variety of fluorescence chemosensors discussed in this article are systematically gathered according to their structures, functional properties, and fluorescence sensing properties. Finally, the usefulness and existing challenges of using the fluorescence-based sensing method for NH₃ detection and the future perspective on this research area have also been highlighted.