A Highly Selective and Sensitive Fluorescent Chemo-Sensor for Detecting Lu3+ Ion Based on Mesoporous Silica Nanomaterial

A novel Lu3+ sensitive fluorescent chemo-sensor for the selective detection of Lu3+ ion was developed using 8-hydroxyquinoline functionalized mesoporous silica with highly ordered structure (LUS-Q). The ordered porous structure of LUS-Q is still preserved after the post grafting procedure [1-2]. Both UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopic studies indicated that the synthesized sensor showed good selectivity toward Lu3+ ion over other ions, most probably due to the presence of the fluorophore moiety at its surface and the forming of stable complex between the LUS-Q and LU3+. The emission intensity of the Lu3+-bound mesoporous material increases with an increase in concentrations of Lu3+ ion. 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 sensor has a detection limit of 8.2 × 10−8 mol L−1 and the pH range which the proposed chemo-sensor can be applied was 3.3–8.3.