Self-Assembly Fluorescent Cationic Cellulose Nanocomplex via Electrostatic Interaction for the Detection of Fe3+ Ions

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 9; no. 2; p. 279
• Main Authors: Wang, Haoying, Ye, Xiu, Zhou, Jinping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 16-02-2019; MDPI AG
• Subjects: aggregation-induced emission; electrostatic interaction; Fe3+ ions; fluorescence; quaternized cellulose
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano9020279

In this work, an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) sensor for the detection of Fe3+ ions was fabricated through the electrostatic interaction between 1,1,2-triphenyl-2-[4-(3-sulfonatopropoxyl)-phenyl]-ethene sodium salt (SPOTPE) and quaternized cellulose (QC). The structure and properties of the SPOTPE/QC nanocomplex were studied by using 1H NMR, spectrofluorophotometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic laser light scattering (DLS). An aqueous solution of SPOTPE and QC resulted in a remarkably enhanced cyan fluorescence in comparison to that of the SPOTPE solution. Strong through-space electrostatic interaction between SPOTPE and QC is the main cause for the fluorescence emerging. The fluorescence of the SPOTPE/QC solutions show good stability over a wide pH range of 5.0–10.0. When introducing Fe3+ ions into the SPOTPE/QC solution, the fluorescence quenched within 5 s. SPOTPE/QC solutions exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of Fe3+ ions with ignored interferences from other ions, and the detection limit was determined to be 2.92 × 10−6 M. The quenching mechanism was confirmed to be the consequence of the binding interactions between Fe3+ ions and SPOTPE/QC complex.