BODIPY immobilized MCM-41 based material: A reusable solid optical sensor for selective detection and removal of Hg(II) in water

In this paper, 4,4-difluoro-8-(4 hydroxyphenyl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (L) was immobilized on MCM-41 to develop a pioneering colorimetric and spectrophotometric heterogeneous sensing material L-propylsilyl@MCM-41 (2) for Hg2+ ions in aqueous media. The synthesized fluorescent sensing material 2 shows overall emission intensity change ca. 89.8% selectively for Hg2+ ions over other competitive metal ions. The binding constant (k(a)) of L-propylsilyl@MCM-41 (2) for Hg2+ ion was determined to be 1.133 x 10(3) mol L-1 with a limit of detection 0.83 mu M in an aqueous medium at neutral pH. A portable chemosensor kit has been prepared by coating a thin layer of 2 onto a glass film that shows an immediate colour change from yellow to pink. Further, the inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP) analysis confirms that L-propylsilyl@MCM-41 (2) can be a conceivably useful and effective agent for selective detection and rapid removal of Hg2+ ions up to 98.75% from water samples.

Automated summary

A novel colorimetric and spectrophotometric sensing material for Hg2+ ions in aqueous media was developed, showing high selectivity and sensitivity. The synthesized material was utilized to create a portable chemosensor kit for rapid detection and removal of Hg2+ ions from water samples with high efficiency.