Efficacious sensing and elimination of iron ions from aqueous medium by polyethylenimine functionalized carbon dot.

In the present work, Iron (Fe) ions are detected and removed from an aqueous medium using a green emissive polyethylenimine functionalized carbon dots (GPC), which are produced hydrothermally and have high adsorption efficiency and sensitivity. As prepared, GPC uses an adsorption approach to remove iron ions and a Turn-Off mechanism to detect iron ions. A UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy are used to evaluate the results of several experiments, including those involving the interference of other ions, changing the concentration of metal ions, pH, reaction time, and the dosage of adsorbent in the sensor, in an attempt to achieve high sensitivity (with a lower limit of detection of 0.08 ppm) and high adsorption efficiency of approximately 98 % (8 µM of Fe and 1 ppm of GPC) towards iron ions. The isotherm and kinetic analyses of adsorption show that pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherm suits the experimental data better. With a removal percentage of roughly 89 percent after three cycles, desorption analysis highlights its regeneration efficiency. The mechanism of adsorption and quenching are extensively investigated; The static and dynamic quenching mechanisms are supported by high static constant value of approximately 23.5 ×10³ M and the lifetime decay declination of 2.42 ns, respectively. Zeta potential measurements and XPS analysis are used to examine the electrostatic interaction between GPC and Fe in the adsorption mechanism. Ultimately, the prepared material's contentment results illustrate its potential for practical applicability with five actual water samples. [Display omitted] • Polyethylenimine carbon dots are employed to sense and eliminate Fe ions. • As prepared material has green emission under UV light of 360 nm. • The fluorescence turn-off mechanism contributes to the sensing of Fe ions. • The removal of Fe ions is accomplished by the adsorption method. • Material has a detection limit of 0.08 ppm and adsorption efficiency of about 98 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]