Facile Polymerization Strategy for the Construction of Eu³⁺-Based Fluorescent Materials with the Capability of Distinguishing D₂O from H₂O

Abstract

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and antenna effect (AE) are two important luminescence behaviors. Connecting them into polymers is a promising but challenging work, which can supply opportunities for luminescence materials with extensive applications. In this work, AIE-active Eu³⁺-coordinated polymers (Poly-Eu-1, -2, -3, and -4) have been synthesized, and the efficient AE was verified. This finding presents a facile approach to obtain the Ln³⁺-based solid luminescence materials due to the synergistic effect from AIE and AE. Also, benefiting from the film-processing ability and water solubility, Poly-Eu-1, -2, -3, and -4 could be employed with different application purposes. In the solution phase, they can be used as sensitive optical probes to detect trace amounts of H₂O and D₂O, and the limit of detection (LOD) of Poly-Eu-2 toward D₂O in H₂O is determined to be 7.8 ppm. This discovery is a novel strategy for the construction of D₂O optical sensors with a totally intervention-free style.