A New Fluoride Luminescence Quencher Based on a Nanostructured Covalently Bonded Terbium Hybrid Material

The preparation of a novel covalently bonded luminescent hybrid material and its spectrophotometric anion sensing property were reported. The fluorescent receptor (lanthanide complex) was embedded in mesoporous silica through a sol-gel approach, and the nanoscale rod material exhibited excellent photophysical properties (luminescence and thermal stability). It shows significant changes in its fluorescence upon hydrogen binding to fluoride ions in DMSO/H₂O (1/1), and the luminescence varies from green to blue (3-4 s). Proton NMR titration studies also indicated that the organic ligand was participating in hydrogen-bonding interactions with fluoride guest anions. The detection limit for fluoride anions could reach 1 μM, and the reusability cycles were performed more than 10 times. © 2010 American Chemical Society.