A polymeric chemosensor for Fe 3+ based on fluorescence quenching of polymer with quinoline derivative in the side chain

Abstract

The synthesis and photophysics of a blue fluorescent polymer with a quinoline derivative in the side chain have been described. The sensitivity of poly(HQPEMA) to transition-metal ions such as Fe 3+, Zn 2+, Co 2+, Cu 2+, and so forth has been explored by fluorescence emission spectroscopy. The results showed that the fluorescence of the polymer was significantly quenched by the addition of the ferric ion. The high selectivity and sensitivity for Fe 3+ were observed in different organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, 1, 2-dichlorethane and chloroform. The polymer as a fluorescent sensor toward Fe 3+ was investigated in detail. The fluorescence quenching was found to be a linear relationship with Fe 3+ concentration. The fluorescence quenching behavior is a typical Stern–Volmer quenching with a Stern–Volmer constant ( Ksv) of 1.44 × 10 4 M −1.