Trithiocyanuric acid-functionalized nanoporous silica: synthesis and application as an Ag+ selective optical probe

In this study, trithiocyanuric acid-functionalized nanoporous silica (SBA-15-TTCA) was synthesized and applied as an optical probe to create a new fluorescence sensor for rapidly determining Ag+ ion concentrations in aqueous solutions. XRD patterns verified that the mesoporous silica had hexagonal symmetry, as anticipated. The grafted organic group on the surface SBA-15 was confirmed by thermal gravimetric analysis, and FT-IR spectra confirmed the existence of TTCA groups in the silica system. Centered on N-2 adsorption-desorption, the functionalized product had a BET surface area of 381 m(2)g(-1) and a pore diameter of 5.1 nm. SEM and EDX images of SBA-15- TTCA show the morphology of the rope-shaped and the presence of N and S atoms in the TTCA ligand located on the SBA-15. The fluorescence properties of the TTCA-functionalized SBA-15 were then investigated to assess the SBA-15-TTCA's metal cation sensing capability. With adding Ag+ ions, SBA-15-TTCA displayed a strong fluorescence peak of about 292 nm, which was increased. Ag+ can be detected quantitatively in a relatively broad working range of 3.6 x 10(-5) to 2.0 x 10(-4) M, with an LOD of 15.2 x 10(-6) M. The results of the experiments showed that this chemosensor offers a novel method for the selective, rapid identification of Ag+ over a wide working range.