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Nanomolar Cu 2+ Detection in Water Based on Disassembly of AIEgen: Applications in Blood Serum, Cell Imaging and Complex Logic Circuits
Author(s) -
Singh Prabhpreet,
Singh Harminder,
Vanita Vanita,
Sharma Rashmi,
Bhargava Gaurav,
Kumar Subodh
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemistryselect
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 2365-6549
DOI - 10.1002/slct.201601497
Subject(s) - absorbance , fluorescence , detection limit , aqueous solution , chemistry , intramolecular force , metal ions in aqueous solution , ion , photochemistry , materials science , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , chromatography , physics , quantum mechanics
Here in, we report self‐assembled aggregates of AIEgen 1 , which exhibits excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) coupled aggregation induced emission (AIE) with intense green fluorescence (λ em =526 nm) in aqueous solution as well as in solid state. AIEgen 1 behaves as disassembly based fluorescent probe for selective and sensitive detection of Cu 2+ in drinking water with lowest limit of detection of 0.261 ppb (4.13 nM) (much lower than recommended by EPA). AIEgen 1 finds applications for the detection of Cu 2+ in blood serum, environmental (tap, pond and industrial waste water) samples. Probably the interaction of Cu 2+ ions at Schiff‐base unit of AIEgen 1 via metal chelation disrupts the self‐assembled aggregates and results in disassembly of the nanorods into smaller spherical nanostructures as also evidenced in DLS, SEM and TEM studies. Incubation of HeLa cells with AIEgen 1 results in fluorescence ‘switch‐on’ showing cell internalization of AIEgen 1 with low cytotoxicity and thus establishes the potential of AIEgen 1 in cell imaging. The reversibility influorescence / absorbance of 1 ‐Cu 2+ complex with EDTA helps in elaboration of various reconfigurable and superposed logic gates such as NOT (at F 425 , A 380 ), INH (at A 430 ), IMP 1 (at A 380 ) and IMP 2 (at F 526 ). By observing the output switching in absorbance and fluorescence channels on addition of Cu 2+ (In1) and EDTA (In2) as inputs, ‘set‐ reset’ flip flop memory element and complementary IMP/INH logic circuits have been elaborated.