Highly sensitive and selective fluorescent detection of rare earth metal Sn(II) ion by organic fluorine Schiff base functionalized periodic mesoporous material in aqueous solution

A Schiff base 3-((4-aminophenyl)imino)-5-fluoroindolin-2-one (APIFI) functionalized mesoporous material (APIFI-SBA) has been first developed by covalent binding with epoxypropoxyl groups on the inner surface of siliceous wall via co-condensation method. Moreover, the ordered porous structure of mesoporous host is still retained after immobilizing the Schiff base within the channels. The material APIFI-SBA shows high sensitivity and selectivity of detecting Sn2+ ions in aqueous media. A good linearity between the fluorescence intensity of the material and the concentration of Sn2+ ion is constructed, which enables it as a fluorescent chemosensor for detecting Sn2+ ion in aqueous solution.