Polymeric fluorescent probes for the detection and removal of 4-nitrophenol

4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) poses a threat to the environment and human health. Developing a method to efficiently detect and separate 4-NP is of great significance. In this work, boron-dipyrromethane (BODIPY) phosphor was first prepared. Then, a small molecule fluorescent probe (BD-Ac) with an acetylene group was prepared through a Schiff base formation reaction. At the same time, the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) reagents (CTA-1, CTA-2) were prepared and polymerized with ethyl 2- (hydroxymethyl) acrylate and tert-butyl vinylcarbamate to obtain three non-fluorescent macromolecules P-01, P-02, and P-03 containing amino groups (−NH 2 ). The three polymers P-01, P-02, and P-03 were combined with the small molecule fluorescent probe (BD-Ac) through the alkyne-amine click reaction to obtain three fluorescent macromolecules P-1, P-2, and P-3. Meanwhile, through gel permeation chromatography (GPC) testing, it was confirmed that they have a good narrow distribution, with PDI values reaching 1.08, 1.05, and 1.06 respectively. Due to the existence of excited-state proton transfer (ESPT), 4-NP can quench the fluorescence of three fluorescent macromolecules. Limit of detection (LOD) reached 2.8 × 10 −7  mol/L, 3.4 × 10 −7  mol/L, and 4.8 × 10 −7  mol/L respectively. Not only can it identify 4-NP, but it can also achieve efficient separation of 4-NP. The separation efficiencies are 67.9 %, 68.9 %, and 60.3 % respectively. The as-prepared polymeric fluorescence probes might find application in the analytical and environmental sciences.