Mesoporous silica-deoxycholate synergistic substrate, a novel room temperature phosphorescence-sensing platform

A novel mesoporous silica-deoxycholate (MS-NaDC) synergistic substrate was developed for room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) sensing and analysis. The substrate exhibited rapid and strong RTP-inducing ability toward 9-bromophenanthrene (9-BrP). The formation mechanism of MS-NaDC synergistic substrate was analyzed and demonstrated. Five MSs with pore size range of 2.73–18.58   nm were synthesized and investigated, and the MS designated as LPMS2 was selected for its rapid RTP protection and good stability in dispersions. RTP in the presence of MS-NaDC substrate also shows good thermostability. Assistant inducers, such as cyclohexane, can be used together for further RTP enhancement. Finally, 9-BrP holds a fairly wide linear concentration range of 2   nM–3   μM, and a detection limit of 0.5   nM. All the results demonstrated the feasibility and application potential of the MS-NaDC substrate in RTP.