Rhodamine Derivative-Linked Silica-Coated Upconverting Nanophosphor (NaYF4: Yb3+/Er3+@SiO2-RBDA) for Ratiometric, Ultrasensitive Chemosensing of Pb2+ Ions

Lead (Pb2+) ions are considered as one of the primary environmental pollutants and have a profound effect on human health. In this work, we have developed a hybrid organic–inorganic optical nanochemosensor for selective and ultrasensitive detection of Pb2+ ions based on energy transfer (ET), involving a Pb2+ sensitive rhodamine-derived named (E)-4-(((3′,6′-bis(diethylamino)-3-oxospiro[isoindoline-1,9′-xanthen]-2-yl)imino)methyl)benzaldehyde represented as RBDA, covalently linked with silica coated upconverting nanophosphors (UCNPs). The UCNPs emit visible light after being excited by NIR light, activating the Pb2+ coordinated RBDA (fluorescent probe). When Pb2+ ions were added, a yellow emission band at about 588 nm formed in upconverting photoluminescence spectra, whereas the strength of green emission at about 542 nm reduced upon excitation of 980 nm laser, indicating the energy transfer from UCNP to RBDA-Pb2+ complex. The concentration of Pb2+ ions directly affects how well the probe reabsorbs the green emission of the nanophosphor, thus enabling the ratiometric chemosensing. With a detection limit of 20 nM in aqueous, the resulting ET-based nochemosensor can also preferentially detect Pb2+ despite the presence of other ions. Owing to the minimal autofluorescence and the great penetration depth of NIR light and special optical features of UCNPs, this is a promising approach for sensitive and in-depth detection of Pb2+ ions in a complex ecological and biological specimen.