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Preparation of a Novel Clay/Dye Composite and its Application in Contaminant Detection

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Clays and Clay Minerals

Abstract

Although fluorescence detection is a sensitive method in the field of pollutant analysis, its application is restricted due to the fluorescence shown by organic material being quenched after aggregation and to low photo-thermal stability. To address these issues, a novel mineral/dye composite material was prepared by intercalating a fluorescence molecule, Rhodamine (R6G), into the interlayer space of montmorillonite (Mnt). This composite material greatly enhanced the light stability and efficiency of R6G. After enhancement, the fluorescence lifetime of R6G-Mnt was eight times longer than originally and the luminous intensity was 20 times greater. Chromium at the mmol/L (mM) level can be detected by the naked eye when its enhanced fluorescent property is fabricated into a solid test paper, even though a fluorescence spectrophotometer should be used for detection at the 0.01 μmol/L level in the sensing range 0.01 μmol/L to 100 mmol/L. These results can provide new avenues as well as a theoretical and experimental foundation for the development of novel supramolecular luminescent material.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded jointly funded by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project (2018M631818) and the Doctoral Startup Foundation of Liaoning (20170520315).

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Correspondence to Guocheng Lv.

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Wu, L., Bao, X., Zhong, H. et al. Preparation of a Novel Clay/Dye Composite and its Application in Contaminant Detection. Clays Clay Miner. 67, 244–251 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42860-019-00022-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42860-019-00022-3

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