Mesoporous silica-deoxycholate synergistic substrate, a novel room temperature phosphorescence-sensing platform

A novel mesoporous silica-deoxycholate (MS-NaDC) synergistic substrate was developed for room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) sensing and analysis. The substrate exhibited rapid and strong RTP-inducing ability toward 9-bromophenanthrene (9-BrP). The formation mechanism of MS-NaDC synergistic substrate was analyzed and demonstrated. Five MSs with pore size range of 2.73-18.58 nm were synthesized and investigated, and the MS designated as LPMS2 was selected for its rapid RTP protection and good stability in dispersions. RTP in the presence of MS-NaDC substrate also shows good thermostability. Assistant inducers, such as cyclohexane, can be used together for further RTP enhancement. Finally, 9-BrP holds a fairly wide linear concentration range of 2 nM-3 mu M and a detection limit of 0.5 nM. All the results demonstrated the feasibility and application potential of the MS-NaDC substrate in RTP. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.