Abstract
Visible light/pH dual-responsive polymer dots (PDs) were facilely prepared from branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) functionalized with donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs). The synthesized polymer dots were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The emission peak of the DASA-PEI polymer dots changed as the excitation wavelength varied from 360nm to 520nm. The strongest fluorescence emission was located around 522nm upon 420nm excitation. Moreover, the DASA-PEI polymer dots exhibited a typical photo-responsive behavior. After visible light irradiation, the triene of DASAs isomerized to the cyclopentenone form. Interestingly, the DASA-PEI polymer dots also responded to acid and alkali and showed a reversible transition between the triene and cyclopentenone isomers. It is demonstrated that the prepared DASA-PEI polymer dots could be applied as a turn-off chemosensor for the rapid and selective detection of Fe3+ and Cu2+ in aqueous solutions with detection limits of 10.1nM and 1.3nM, respectively.
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