A dual-functional fluorescent probe based on kaolin nanosheets for the detection and separation of aluminum ions

Aluminum ions (Al³⁺) are closely related to environmental protection and human health, thus the detection and separation of Al³⁺ is of great significance. In this study, a dual-functional fluorescent probe for the detection and separation of Al³⁺ was successfully developed by grafting fluorophore onto kaolin nanosheets. The probe has the characteristics of good dispersion without the involvement of organic solvents, excellent specificity, the low limit of detection (0.55 µM), and fast response time (10 min). And the recovery rates of Al³⁺ using this probe are in the range from 93.0% to 101.8%, and the corresponding relative standard deviations are in the range from 3.5% to 5.8%. Besides, it also can remove Al³⁺ in aqueous solution through adsorption, and the removal rates is in the range from 95.1% to 99.3% when the concentration of the probe is 0.4 mg/mL. The probe combines detection and separation functions, overcomes the defect that single-function materials can only be used for detection or separation, which has important significance and good application value.