Abstract
To be able to detect explosives ultra-traces has become a societal need particularly toanticipate terrorist attacks and for land mine detection. During the last decade, despite well studiedheavy analytical techniques, more sensitive, rapid and portable new chemical gas sensors havebeen developed. This thesis is devoted to the study of fluorescent organic materials used fornitroaromatics detection which appears among the most current explosives. Three objectivesconcern the present work: we have to design new sensitive materials towards nitroaromatics viafluorescence quenching, to develop a portable integrated sensor and to focus on the understandingof the detection process involved in nitroaromatics sensing. We explore the synthesis and the use ofnew alternate copolymers bearing fluorescent conjugated segments (phenyleneethynylene type) andchiral units with a C2 symmetry axis. This chiral unit is designed in order to avoid p-stacking betweenfluorophores. The effect of the conjugated segment nature and the type of chiral unit are studied inorder to obtain an optimal sensitivity. The interactions between nitroaromatics and sensitivefluorescent materials are also investigated. The deposition of alternate polymers leads tohomogeneous and smooth thin layers. Their good sensitivity and their excellent selectivity fornitroaromatics detection are well fitted for the development of chemical sensors. The result of thisleads to the development of a miniaturized integrated prototype of detection.