Synthesis of the cationic fluorescent probes for the detection of anionic surfactants by electrostatic self-assembly

Anionic surfactants were widespread used in car cleaning agents, household detergents, agricultural and industrial processes, and considered as a major source of environmental pollutant. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a fast, simple, highly selective and sensitive probe for the detection of anionic surfactants. Here, we synthesized two aggregation induced emission (AIE)-active molecules 4,4',4 '',4'''-(ethene-1,1,2,2-tetrayltetrakis(benzene-4,1-diyl))tetrakis (1-( 4-bromobenzyl)pyridin-1-ium ) bromide (TPE-Br) and 4,4',4 '',4'''-(ethene-1,1,2,2-trayltetrakis(benzene-4,1-diyl))tetrakis(1-methylpyrid in-1-ium) iodide (TPE-I), which were then applied as fluorescence probes for detecting sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with high selectivity and sensitivity. In the presence of SDS, a multi-fold fluorescence emission intensity enhancement was observed in both two probes (TPE-Br and TPE-I) due to the electrostatic self-assembly of ALE molecular. The limits of detection are 71.5 and 120 nM for TPE-Br and TPE-I, respectively. This study may provide a new strategy for environmental monitoring by ALE-based fluorescent probe. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.