Confinement-Assisted Specific Fluorescence Detection of Fe³⁺ in Aqueous Solution by Styrylpyrene-Based Microgels

Abstract

In recent years, fluorescent sensors have played a compelling role in the precise detection of metal ions. However, most fluorophores are hydrophobic and cannot be used to detect aqueous samples directly. Researchers have thus addressed this problem by combining fluorophores with hydrophilic polymer carriers. Nevertheless, most studies have focused only on the role of fluorophores in the recognition of metal ions, ignoring the effect of polymers and their aggregation states on the detection. In this work, microgels with pyrene-based fluorescent cross-linked structures were prepared using a post-cross-linking strategy and were found to specifically detect Fe 3+ directly in aqueous solutions without interference from other metal ions (i.e.,