• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.201-207
• /
• 2020

A new chemosensor based on a self-assembled system has been devised to detect Hg²⁺ions efficiently. We demonstrated that the amphiphilic building blocks consisting of pyrene and boronic acid (1) aggregate in aqueous solutions and provide an outstanding sensing platform for sensitive detection. The self-assembled 1 exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity for Hg²⁺ion detection via fluorescence quenching, where the Hg²⁺ion detection ensued from a fast transmetallation of 1. The Stern-Volmer (SV) quenching constant for its fluorescence quenching by Hg²⁺ions was approximately 1.58 × 10⁸ M^-1. In addition, self-assembled 1 exhibited excellent sensing abilities at nano-molar concentration levels when tap water and freshwater samples were contaminated with of Hg²⁺ ions.