Dual‐Function Near‐Infrared Emitting Aerogel‐Based Device for Detection and Sunlight‐Driven Photodegradation of Antibiotics: Realizing the Processability of Silsesquioxane‐Based Fluorescent Porous Materials

Abstract

AbstractIt is highly desirable to develop facile methods to improve the processability of porous materials for industrial applications. Herein, the preparation of a novel near‐infrared emitting hybrid aerogel (PCS‐CA) is reported by physically blending a porous material with chitosan. The applied porous material (PCS‐CZ‐O‐DCM) is obtained from a near‐infrared emission semiconductor compound (CZ‐O‐DCM) and octavinylsilsesquioxane (OVS). PCS‐CZ‐O‐DCM can detect tetracycline hydrochloride selectively and rapidly in various solution with an extremely low detection limit of 0.29 µm for fluorescence quenching. It also exhibits an outstanding sunlight‐driven photodegradation activity for antibiotics even in the absence of additional oxidation agents or pH control. PCS‐CA also performs better than PCS‐CZ‐O‐DCM powder. A PCS‐CA‐based glass device is further fabricated, which enables a larger amount of water purification of antibiotics by a continuous flow‐through system by light‐driven degradation. By blending with a soft polymer matrix, improved processability can be applied to insoluble porous materials. As a result, a novel functional devices can be realized which provides a new way to apply insoluble porous materials.