7, 11-diphenyl-8H- acenaphth[1, 2-f] isoindole-8, 10 (9H) - Dione functionalized polysiloxane with aggregation-induced emission: Synthesis and highly sensitive detection for Fe3+

Fluorescent silicone polymers have attracted much attention owing to their strong fluorescence and high stabilities. However, most of these silicone polymers have suffered from fluorescence quenching caused by aggregation in high concentrations. In this work, 7, 11-diphenyl-8H- acenaphth[1, 2- f] isoindole-8, 10 (9H) - dione functionalized polysiloxane (PMDF) with strong blue fluorescence was successfully synthesized via Diels-Alder reaction. Besides high thermal stability, PMDF showed unique aggregation-induced emission enhancement in high concentrations, indicating it is an excellent fluorescent silicone polymer in both disperse and aggregate state. Moreover, the product polymer showed highly sensitive fluorescence response to Fe3+, with low detection limit to 0.895 ppm and a high selectivity in the present of other metal ions. This work may open a new window for exploring fluorescent polymers as ideal probe for Fe3+.

Automated summary

Fluorescent silicone polymer PMDF with strong blue fluorescence and aggregation-induced emission enhancement in high concentrations was successfully synthesized in this work, showing highly sensitive fluorescence response to Fe3+ with high selectivity. This opens up new possibilities for exploring fluorescent polymers as ideal probes for Fe3+.