In plain words
Some molecules absorb one colour of light and give out another — they fluoresce. Highlighter pens work this way. If we design a glowing molecule so that its glow changes when it touches a particular substance, it becomes a sensor: shine a lamp on a sample, and the colour tells you what’s in it.
We make such molecules for detecting nitro-aromatic explosives and pollutants, and for imaging inside cells.
The science
- BODIPY, aza-BODIPY and azaborine fluorophores with tunable emission, including the near-infrared.
- Aggregation-induced emission (e.g. tetraphenylethylene-functionalised dyes) for solid-state sensing.
- Turn-off / turn-on probes for nitroaromatics, metal ions and bio-relevant analytes.
- Porphyrin and phthalocyanine chromophores for light-harvesting and photodynamic applications.
What we’re working on now
Tetraphenylethylene-functionalised azaborines for sensitive turn-off detection of nitroaromatics (Microchemical Journal, 2026) and new near-infrared emitters.