Optical detection/collection of toxic Cd(II) ions using cubic Ia3d aluminosilica mesocage sensors

Optical sensors for selective removal and detection of extremely toxic ions such as cadmium (Cd^II) in aquatic samples were successfully fabricated via simple strategy. Aluminosilica-based network platforms are used as selective mesopore shape and size carriers in order to fabricate optical sensors through the direct functionalization of α, β, γ, and δ-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphine ρ-toluenesulfonate (TMPyP) moieties without any prior surface modification using silane or thiol agents. In turn, the key advantage of a heretical three-dimensional (3D) cubic Ia3d mesocage is the facile access of target ions such as ion transports and the high affinity responses of TMPyP receptor-Cd(II) analyte binding events, which result in the easy generation and transduction of optical signals even at the trace level of the Cd(II) ion. The optical sensor design-based aluminosilica cages enable the sensitive detection and selective removal of Cd(II) ions even at ultra-trace concentrations of 10^-10 mol/dm³ with rapid response time (in minutes). This rational strategy is crucial to the development of optical mesocollectors (i.e., probe surface-mounted naked-eye ion-sensor strips) with highly selective Cd(II) ion removal from aqueous water. These new classes of optical mesocollectors exhibit long-term stability and reusability of deleterious Cd(II) ions, which makes them efficient for various analytical applications.