A novel Lu fluorescent nano-chemosensor using new functionalized mesoporous structures

A new Lu³⁺ sensitive fluorescent chemosensor is designed using 8-hydroxyquinoline functionalized mesoporous silica with highly ordered structure (LUS-SPS-Q). The characterization of LUS-SPS-Q showed that the organized structure has been preserved after the post grafting procedure. The synthesized material showed a selective interaction with Lu³⁺ ion, most probably due to the presence of the fluorophore moiety at its surface. The emission intensity of the Lu³⁺-bound mesoporous material increases with an increase in concentrations of Lu³⁺ ion. Addition of other mono-, di-, trivalent ions resulted in insignificant change in the fluorescent intensity. The enhancement of fluorescence is attributed to the strong covalent binding of Lu³⁺ ion. The linear response range of Lu³⁺ chemo-sensor was from 1.6 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The Limit of detection obtained was 8.2 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ and the pH range which the proposed chemo-sensor can be applied was 3.3–8.3.