Chromophoric thin film based on cellulose triacetate blends for sensing metal ions

Chromophoric sensors were made based on 8-hydroxyquinoline immobilized onto a thin film of a polymer blend matrix. The thin films were made by the solution casting method using cellulose triacetate and polyethylene glycol (PEG 600) as plasticizer and pore-forming agent. Different contents of PEG 600 additive were investigated. The prepared films were characterized by FTIR and thermal analysis. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of different films were dependent on the content of PEG 600 with clear quenching of the fluorescence of the film that contains PEG 600 compared to that with zero content. This behavior was attributed to the collective effect of hydrogen bonding (intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding) that enhances the process of excited-state proton transfer. This result is favorable to a responsive sensor that shows fluorescence off in the absence of metal ions and fluorescence on upon metal ion chelation. The detection of 5 × 10⁻⁵ M of Al³⁺, Zn²⁺ and thallium (I) in aqueous solution has been observed with the fluorescence method. The result obtained is consistent with the enhancing effect of PEG 600 in the detectability of metal ions. Compared with the detection of Al³⁺ and Zn²⁺, the sensor shows better detection of thallium (I), with clear fluorescence spectra.