Acylhydrazone functionalized benzimidazole-based metallogel for the efficient detection and separation of Cr<sup>3</sup>.

Yao, Hong; Wang, Jiao; Zhou, Qi; Guan, Xiao-Wen; Fan, Yan-Qing; Zhang, You-Ming; Wei, Tai-Bao; Lin, Qi · Soft Matter · 2018

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Chromium(iii) is a kind of microelement and can be converted to the more toxic chromium(vi), which is a carcinogen, by redox cycling. Thus, the development of novel materials for the detection and removal of Cr<sup>3+</sup> is a very important issue. A novel metallogel chemosensor (BMG-Fe) based on functionalized benzimidazole (BM) and Fe<sup>3+</sup> was constructed, which could fluorescently detect and separate Cr<sup>3+</sup>. The detection limit of BMG-Fe for Cr<sup>3+</sup> is 2.62 × 10<sup>-8</sup> M, and it exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity for Cr<sup>3+</sup>. Meanwhile, the absorbing percentage of BMG-Fe for Cr<sup>3+</sup> is 96.36%, indicating a high separation rate. Interestingly, the sensitivity and ingestion capacity of BMG-Fe for Cr<sup>3+</sup> are better than that of the simple organogel (BMG). So, the metallogel BMG-Fe could be utilized for the efficient removal of heavy metal ions from waste water.