Xiafan Hao: Key Lab of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, Shandong University Jinan 250100 P. R. China shuhhan@sdu.edu.cn.
Shuhua Han: Key Lab of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, Shandong University Jinan 250100 P. R. China shuhhan@sdu.edu.cn. ORCID
Jingtao Zhu: MOE Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-structured Materials, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University Shanghai 200092 P. R. China.
Yongfeng Hu: Canadian Light Source 44 Innovation Boulevard Saskatoon SK S7N 2V3 Canada.
Lo Yueh Chang: Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University-Western University Centre for Synchrotron, Radiation Research Suzhou 215006 P. R. China.
Chih-Wen Pao: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center 101, Science-Based Industrial Park Hsinchu 30076 Taiwan.
Jeng-Lung Chen: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center 101, Science-Based Industrial Park Hsinchu 30076 Taiwan.
Jin-Ming Chen: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center 101, Science-Based Industrial Park Hsinchu 30076 Taiwan. ORCID
Shu-Chih Haw: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center 101, Science-Based Industrial Park Hsinchu 30076 Taiwan.
A novel bis-benzimidazole organic siloxane precursor (BBM-Si) was prepared, and was combined with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a mixed Si source. Then, bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica (BBM-PMO) spherical nanoparticles were synthesized by co-condensation using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as structure directing agent. The optical properties showed that BBM qualifies as an "aggregation induced emission enhanced" (AIEE) molecule, exhibiting characteristics of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), such as a large Stokes shift and dual fluorescence emission. For the BBM-PMO materials, the silica skeleton provides a rigid environment that limits molecular rotation, resulting in improved fluorescence emission. In particular, the BBM-PMOs exhibited dual emission of the enol and keto forms, achieving a ratiometric response to Cu with high sensitivity and selectivity in a broad pH range. Additionally, the limit of detection was as low as 7.15 �� 10 M in aqueous solution. The X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) showed the coordination structure through the interaction between copper ions and N atoms of benzimidazole in the BBM-PMO coordinated to Cu. These results demonstrate that BBM-PMO hybrid materials have potential applications in the fields of bio-imaging and environmental monitoring.
References
Chem Commun (Camb). 2015 Oct 4;51(77):14501-4
[PMID: 26280034]
