A self-assembled triphenylamine-based fluorescent chemosensor for selective detection of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions in aqueous solution

A novel triphenylamine-based fluorescent sensor tris((4-amino)phenylduryl)amine (m-TAPA) for Fe3+/Cu2+ ion has been developed. m-TAPA shows high selectivity and sensitivity toward Fe3+/Cu2+ over alkali and transition metal ions in aqueous solution. The possible mechanism of fluorescence quenching was that Fe3+/Cu2+ can be captured by the NH2 groups of m-TAPA to form non-fluorescent complexes, resulting in strong quenching. The detection limits of Fe3+ and Cu2+ were calculated to be 230 nM and 620 nM, respectively. Furthermore, fluorescent test strips have been prepared for convenient detection of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions in environmental water samples, even in drinking water.