Nanoparticle doped hybrid organogels were prepared using the pseudopeptidic macrocycle 1 and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). The new semi-solid materials show the same thermal stability and excellentoptical transparency as compared to the parent organogel in the absence of the nanoparticles, but theyare fluorescent due to the presence of embedded semiconductor nanocrystals. The fluorescence lifetimeof a QD–organogel composite is reported for the first time, and it was found to be similar to that of theQDs in solution in a related solvent, independent of the concentration of gelator. The chemical sensingability of the hybrid organogels towards gaseous nitric oxide was investigated by steady-statefluorescence spectroscopy. The gels show fluorescence sensitivity towards NO ranging from 0.05 to0.5 (vol%). The results reported herein constitute a proof of principle of the potential of the hybridsupramolecular soft materials to develop nitric oxide sensor devices of practical application, especiallybecause the semi-solid state of the organogel is preserved after interaction with the analyte. This isremarkable since, for the vast majority of organogels with analytical capabilities reported so far, thesignaling mechanism relies upon the disassembly of the supramolecular structure.
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