Preparation and characterization of 8-hydroxyquinoline-functionalized polysulfone and preliminary study on luminescence property of its complex with Al(III)

Adsorption behavior of aniline pollutant on polystyrene microplastics

Microplastic contamination is ubiquitous in aquatic environments. As global plastic production increases, the abundance of microplastic contaminants released into the environment has also continued to soar. The hydrophobic surfaces of plastic particles can adsorb a variety of chemical pollutants, and could therefore facilitate toxin accumulation through the food chain. In this study, the adsorption behavior of aniline, a priority environmental pollutant from industrial production, on the surface of polystyrene microplastics (mPS) was investigated. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of mPS was 0.060 mg/g. Adsorption equilibrium was reached after 24 h, and the pseudo-second-order model was employed to explain the adsorption kinetics of aniline on the mPS particles. The Freundlich models could describe the adsorption isotherms. The potential adsorption mechanisms may include π-π interactions and hydrophobic interactions. pH, ionic strength, and ambient temperature of the solution played important roles in the adsorption process.

Ligand-Tuned Multi-Color Luminescence of Single Aluminum (III) Ion Atomic Centers and Their Selective Sensitivity to Different Metal Ions

Achieving multi-color luminescence with a single atomic center in transition metal complexes is a challenge. In this work, luminescent materials with tunable emission properties were realized by complexation between aluminum (III) ions with the ligands 3-hydroxyflavone (3-HF) and 5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinoline (DCHQ). Aluminum (III) complexes with a single ligand emitted blue from 3-HF and green from DCHQ. High quantum yields (QYs) of 29.42% and 37.00% were also obtained, respectively. DFT calculations revealed details of the photophysical properties of the complexes. Correspondingly, cyan light emission was obtained if these two complexes were mixed together, from which the emission wavelength was located at 470 nm and the QY was 20.52%, under 290 nm excitation. More importantly, the cyan light emitted by the mixtures had selective sensitivity to different metal ions, resulting in either quenching the fluorescence (in the case of Fe3+) or enhancing the fluorescence (in the case of In3+). The fluorescence enhancement effect of In3+ on metal complexes has not been previously reported, neither for transition metal nor lanthanide ions. The linear quenching behavior of Fe3+ functions in the 50–700 μM concentration range, and the linear enhancement behavior of In3+ is demonstrated in the 300–800 mM concentration range.