Quantitative Time-Resolved Visualization of Catalytic Degradation Reactions of Environmental Pollutants by Integrating Single-Drop Microextraction and Fluorescence Sensing

Current methods for evaluating catalytic degradation reactions of environmental pollutants primarily rely on chromatography that often suffers from intermittent analysis, a long turnaround period, and complex sample pretreatment. Herein, we propose a quantitative time-resolved visualization method to evaluate the progress of catalytic degradation reactions by integrating sample pretreatment [single-drop microextraction, (SDME)], fluorescence sensing, and a smartphone detection platform. The dechlorination reaction of chlorobenzene derivatives was first investigated to validate the feasibility of this approach, in which SDME plays a critical role in direct sample pretreatment, and inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite encapsulated in a metal–organic framework (MOF-5) was utilized as the fluorescent chromogenic agent (FLCA) in SDME to realize fast in situ colorimetric detection via the color switching from green (CsPbBr3) to blue (chlorine lead bromide, inorganic CsPbCl3 perovskite). The smartphone, which can calculate the B/G value of FLCA, serves as a data output window for quantitative time-resolved visualization. Further, a [Eu(PMA)]n (PMA= pyromellitic acid) fluorescent probe was constructed to use as an FLCA for the in situ evaluation of cinnamaldehyde and p-nitrophenol catalytic reduction. This approach not only minimizes the utilization of organic solvents and achieves quantitively efficient time-resolved visualization but also provides a feasible method for in situ monitoring of the progress of catalytic degradation reactions.