Development of fluorescent film sensors based on electropolymerization for iron(III) ion detection

Two electroactive materials, M1 and M2, are synthesized and their fluorescent electropolymerized (EP) films are prepared and used to detect metal ions. From the tested metal ions, M1 and M2 are demonstrated to be sensitive and selective for Fe(3+) ions. In particular, M2 exhibits higher sensitivity towards Fe(3+) ions. The fluorescent detection ranges from 10(-5)  M to 4×10(-4)  M. The excellent performance of the EP fluorescent films is mainly due to the strong metal-chelated properties of M2 and the intrinsic porous cross-linked-network microstructure of the EP films. This study, thus, provides a promising Fe(3+) sensing candidate and a potential preparation method for fluorescent sensing films.