Recyclable Supramolecular Assembly-Induced Emission System for Selective Detection and Efficient Removal of Mercury(II).

An efficient strategy for simultaneously detecting and removing Hg2+ from water is vital to address mercury pollution. Herein a supramolecular assembly G⊂H with photoluminescent properties is facilely constructed through the self-assembly of a functional pillar[5]arene bearing two N,N-dimethyldithiocarbamoyl binding sites (H) and an AIE-active tetraphenylethene derivative (G). Remarkably, the fluorescence of G⊂H can be exclusively quenched by Hg2+ among the 30 cations due to the formation of non-luminous ground state complex and only L-cysteine can restore fluorescence in the common 20 amino acids. Meanwhile, the probe G⊂H has a considerable thermal and pH stability, a good anti-interference property from various cations, and a satisfactory sensitivity. More importantly, G⊂H exhibits a prominent capability of Hg2+ removal with rapid capture rate (within 1 h) and excellent adsorption efficiency (98 %), as well as a highly efficient recyclability without losing any adsorption activity.