Sticky nanopads made of crystallizable fluorescent polymers for rapid and sensitive detection of organic pollutants in water

Abstract

Detection of organic pollutants in aqueous media is crucial for ensuring the quality and safety of water resources. Conventional detection methods suffer from bulky and expensive devices, as well as time-consuming procedures. Herein, we describe a type of sticky nanopad made of crystallizable fluorescent polymers for the facile detection of toxic pollutants in water. The nanopads, with a thickness of approximately 6.3 nm, are comprised of a single layer of crystalline polymers having surfaces coated with chromophores that exhibit aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics. The sticky nanopads are able to absorb organic pollutants in water through different interactions, namely hydrophobic and π–π interactions. The organic pollutants, once absorbed on the surface of the nanopads, quench the fluorescence emission of the chromophores. The sticky nanopads allow the rapid detection of organic pollutants in the order of seconds at concentrations as low as 7 μg L⁻¹, and this material provides more rapid and sensitive results than those given by the existing fluorescent materials reported in literature. The sticky nanopads made of crystallizable fluorescent polymers offer a novel method for the rapid and sensitive detection of organic pollutants in water.