Highly sensitive Fe 3+luminescence detection via single-ion adsorption

To achieve a lower detection limit has always been a goal of analytical chemists. Herein, we demonstrate the first picomolar level detection capability for Fe 3 + ion via luminescence detection technology. The results of structural analysis and theoretical calculation show that Fe 3 + ions are adsorbed on the central node of Eu-DBM (DBM = dibenzoylmethane) sensor in the form of single ion at ultralow concentration. Subsequently, the pathways of photo-induced charge and energy transfer of the obtained Eu-DBM@Fe 3 + material have been changed, from the initial DBM-to-Eu 3 + before Fe 3 + adsorption to the ultimate DBMto-Fe 3 + after adsorption process, which quenches the luminescence of Eu 3 + ion. This work not only obtains the highly sensitive luminescence detection ability, but also innovatively proposes the single-ion adsorption mechanism, both of which have important scientific and application values for the development of more efficient detection agents in the future. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.