Fluorescent wood with non-cytotoxicity for effective adsorption and sensitive detection of heavy metals

Heavy metal pollution is one of the primary challenges of water pollution, and the fabrication of highly effective, green and non-toxic adsorbents for heavy metals is urgently required on the basis of environmental and sustainable development strategies. Here, we report a novel fluorescent wood (FW) with effective adsorption ability (maximum theoretical adsorption capacity of 98.14 mg/g for hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)]), good fluorescence properties (absolute quantum yield of 12.8%), non-cytotoxicity (cell viability of >90%) and high detection sensitivity and selectivity for Cr(VI). The FW was formed using a process involving delignification, infiltration with carbon dots, and free-radical polymerization with acrylic acid. Mechanistic analysis confirmed that the reconstructed 3D porous structure of the FW provided many effective sorption sites, such as amino, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. This improved the adsorption ability and stabilized the fluorescence signal, which enhanced the detection ability. These factors give the novel FW considerable potential for use in the removal of Cr(VI) ions from wastewater.