A novel bis-component AIE smart gel with high selectivity and sensitivity to detect CN<sup>-</sup>, Fe<sup>3+</sup> and H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub><sup></sup>.

Gong, Guan-Fei; Chen, Yan-Yan; Zhang, You-Ming; Fan, Yan-Qing; Zhou, Qi; Yang, Hai-Long; Zhang, Qin-Peng; Yao, Hong et al. · Soft Matter · 2019

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

A novel bis-component AIE-gel TG was facilely constructed from two "easy-to-synthesize" tripodal gelators by a simple host-guest self-assembly process. Interestingly, the TG shows strong aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and could be used for highly efficient and sensitive detection and separation of ions (CN<sup>-</sup>, Fe<sup>3+</sup> and H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup>). The LODs (limits of lowest detection) of TG for CN<sup>-</sup>, Fe<sup>3+</sup> and H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup> are in the range of 4.93 × 10<sup>-9</sup>-7.80 × 10<sup>-8</sup> M. Meanwhile, the xerogel of TG could adsorb and separate Fe<sup>3+</sup> from aqueous solutions, and the adsorption rate is 96%. In addition, a thin film based on the TG could act as a convenient test kit for the detection of CN<sup>-</sup> and Fe<sup>3+</sup>. What is more, the TG-Fe film could not only be used as an erasable secure fluorescent display material, but also as a convenient reversible H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup> test kit.