3A novel carbazole-based AIE-active fluorescent sensor for fast and ultrasensitive detection of Cu2+ and Co2+ in normal saline system

Thienopyrimidine-derived multifunctional fluorescence sensor for the detection of Cu2+, Fe3+, and PPi in different solvents

Hydrazine substituted thienopyrimidine, a new fluorophore, was used to synthesize a novel Schiff base R1 as a chemosensor via the condensation with p-formyltriphenylamine, and the structure was confirmed using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. When treated with Cu2+ in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)/H2O buffer, R1 showed a phenomenon of fluorescence quenching, which was reversible with the action of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). When treated with Fe3+ in dimethylformamide (DMF)/H2O buffer, R1 exhibited the same phenomenon, but fluorescence was recovered with inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) quantitatively. The complexation ratios for R1-Cu2+ and R1-Fe3+ were both 1:2, which were manifested by MS titrations and corresponding Job's plots. The limits of detection of R1 for Cu2+ and Fe3+ were 3.11 × 10-8 and 1.24 × 10-7 M, respectively. The sensing mechanism of R1 toward Cu2+ and Fe3+ was confirmed using density functional theory calculations and electrostatic potential analysis. Test strips of R1 were fabricated successfully for on-site detection of Cu2+ and Fe3+. In addition, R1 was applied to recognize Cu2+ and Fe3+ in actual water samples with satisfactory recovery.

Morpholine-modified polyacrylamides with Polymerization-Induced emission and its specific detection to Cu2+ ions

In this work, three morpholine-modified polyacrylamide derivatives (MMPAm) were successfully prepared by free radical polymerization of monomers with morpholine moiety. The intramolecular aggregation of morpholine rings on macromolecular backbone gives MMPAm a significant polymerization-induced emission (PIE). Particularly, poly(N-morpholine acrylamide) (PNMPA) has the characteristics of strong fluorescence at 450 nm, and its fluorescence quantum yield reaches 2.87 %. The introduction of morpholine moiety, the length of CH2 spacer between morpholine ring and the backbone and the molecular weight play the important roles in PIE properties of PNMPA. Interestingly, PNMPA can recognize and detect Cu2+ specifically even in the presence of 12 other metal ions by thorough fluorescence quenching, and the detection limit of PNMPA is 17.3 μM. Furthermore, the dynamic quenching of PNMPA by Cu2+ ions and the complexation ratio of 1:2 according to JOB's working diagram were confirmed by fluorescence titration. Under the assistance of EDTA, a reversible detection system for Cu2+ is achieved, and a portable test paper from PNMPA for the detection of Cu2+ was also made. In conclusion, PNMPA is endowed with a significant PIE effect by the intramolecular aggregation of morpholine rings along the backbone in the polymerization of non-fluorescent monomer, and is expected to be a promising material for specific detection to Cu2+ ions.