Aggregation-Induced Emission Active Benzidine-Pyridoxal Derived Scaffold for Detecting Fe³⁺ and pH

Area of Science:

• Materials Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Background:

• Schiff bases are versatile organic compounds with diverse applications.
• Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) materials offer unique fluorescence properties.
• Developing sensitive probes for metal ion detection is crucial for environmental monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel AIE-active Schiff base, BNPY.
• To investigate the AIE properties of BNPY and its application in metal ion sensing.
• To explore the pH-dependent fluorescence behavior of BNPY.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of BNPY Schiff base via condensation reaction.
• Investigation of AIE properties using fluorescence spectroscopy in DMSO/water mixtures.
• Metal ion detection using fluorescence quenching (CHEQ) mechanism.
• Job's plot analysis to determine metal-ligand binding stoichiometry.
• Real-time water sample analysis for Fe3+ quantification.

Main Results:

• BNPY exhibits significant AIE, with fluorescence enhancement in aggregated states.
• BNPY acts as a sensitive chemosensor for Fe3+ detection via CHEQ, with a detection limit of 5.6 × 10-7 M.
• Job's plot confirmed a 1:2 binding ratio between BNPY and Fe3+.
• BNPY demonstrated pH-responsive fluorescence, showing distinct emission colors at different pH values.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized BNPY Schiff base is a promising AIE material for selective Fe3+ detection.
• BNPY can be effectively used for quantifying Fe3+ in real water samples.
• The pH-tunable fluorescence of BNPY opens possibilities for multi-functional sensing applications.