Recyclable Supramolecular Assembly‐Induced Emission System for Selective Detection and Efficient Removal of Mercury(II)
Weiming Wang, Dihua Dai, Jia‐Rui Wu, Chunyu Wang, Yan Wang, Ying‐Wei Yang
Abstract
Abstract An efficient strategy for simultaneously detecting and removing Hg 2+ from water is vital to address mercury pollution. Herein a supramolecular assembly G ⊂ H with photoluminescent properties is facilely constructed through the self‐assembly of a functional pillar[5]arene bearing two N,N ‐dimethyldithiocarbamoyl binding sites ( H ) and an AIE‐active tetraphenylethene derivative ( G ). Remarkably, the fluorescence of G ⊂ H can be exclusively quenched by Hg 2+ among the 30 cations due to the formation of non‐luminous ground state complex and only L‐cysteine can restore fluorescence in the common 20 amino acids. Meanwhile, the probe G ⊂ H has a considerable thermal and pH stability, a good anti‐interference property from various cations, and a satisfactory sensitivity. More importantly, G ⊂ H exhibits a prominent capability of Hg 2+ removal with rapid capture rate (within 1 h) and excellent adsorption efficiency (98 %), as well as a highly efficient recyclability without losing any adsorption activity.