Terpyridine-based complex nanofibers with Eu3+ as a highly selective chemical probes for UO22+

Uranyl is a radioactive, toxic pollutant commonly found in the waste remaining after nuclear fuel reprocessing, and it poses several types of risks to human health; therefore, developing absorbents and chemical probes for this compound is crucial to overcoming these issues. This study examined the sensing abilities of terpyridine-appended benzenetricarboxyamide (T-BTA) as a chromogenic probe for detecting uranyl ions (UO22+). The complex with Eu3+ (1–Eu) spontaneously formed nanostructured fibers in H2O owing to the triamide groups of T-BTA, which induced intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions. The strong blue emission of these nanofibers in H2O was quenched upon adding UO22+ but not upon adding any other metal ion. This high selectivity was probably because of the interactions between the nitrigen atoms of the terpyridine moieties of 1 and UO22+. Furthermore, the 1–Eu nanofibers assumed spherical morphologies when UO22+ was added. To develop a convenient UO22+ sensor, an electrospun film incorporating 1–Eu (ESF–1–Eu) was manufactured, and it exhibited high selectivity for UO22+ over a variety of rival metal ions. The plot for luminescence change of ESF–1–Eu vs UO22+ concentrations in seawater samples showed a good linearty. Thus, the ESF–1–Eu shows potential as a useful sensor for detecting and removing UO22+ in H2O.