Detection of Al3+ and Cu2+ using dual-mode of optical and electrochemistry and its application in daily life

Dual-mode sensing of Al 3+ /Cu 2+ by a novel ferrocene derivative SH-Fc. • SH-Fc detects Al 3+ via a fluorescence turn-on response. • SH-Fc shows colorimetric and electrochemical responses to Cu 2+ . • SH-Fc detects Al 3+ /Cu 2+ in real samples via dual channels. • Smartphone-based platform realizes on-site quantification of metal ions. A novel multichannel fluorescent probe SH-Fc based on ferrocene, salicylaldehyde hydrazone and benzothiazole moieties was synthesized and fully characterized. The probe exhibits highly selective recognition of Al 3+ and Cu 2+ through dual-mode responses. Specifically, it shows significant fluorescence enhancement toward Al 3+ , while displaying distinct colorimetric and electrochemical changes upon addition of Cu 2+ . Furthermore, SH-Fc[Al 3+ ] complex allows for subsequent determination of Cu 2+ through the fluorescence model. Al 3+ and Cu 2+ exhibited calculated detection limits as low as 1.7 × 10 −7  M and 9.6 × 10 −8  M, respectively. SH-Fc and SH-Fc[Al 3+ ] were successfully applied for the detection of Al 3+ and Cu 2+ in real samples (including water, food, and traditional Chinese medicines) through fluorescence and electrochemical channels. Importantly, a smartphone-based color recognition application was employed for quantitative on-site analysis, providing a portable and practical approach for Al 3+ and Cu 2+ monitoring in daily life. Download: Download high-res image (217KB) Download: Download full-size image