In this study, highly ordered mesoporous silica material (SBA-15) functionalized with N-(quinoline-8-yl)-2-(3-triethoxysilyl-propylamino)acetamide (QTPA) as an INHIBIT (INH) logic gate was reported. The functionalized mesoporous SBA-15 silica (QTPA-SBA-15) was characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), 29Si solid state NMR spectra, N2 adsorption/desorption and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The characterization data indicated that the organic ligand was successfully grafted into the mesopores of SBA-15. The fluorescent characterization revealed that this material showed excellent selectivity to Cu2+ over other cations even in trace amount. Moreover, due to the fluorophore moiety presented in the channels of SBA-15, QTPA-SBA-15 can be considered as a selective fluorescent probe for Cu2+. The fluorescent changes of QTPA-SBA-15 upon the addition of cations (Cu2+, Zn2+ and Cd2+) is utilized as an INH logic gate at the molecular level, using [Cu2+ and Zn2+] or [Cu2+ and Cd2+] as chemical inputs and the fluorescence intensity signal as output.

In this study, highly ordered mesoporous silica material (SBA-15) functionalized with N-(quinoline-8-yl)-2-(3-triethoxysilyl-propylamino)-acetamide (QTPA) as zinc probe has been reported. The anchoring to the surface of the SBA-15 was carried out by the reaction between the precursor and the hydroxyl groups available on the inner surface of the support. The primary ordered mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was well preserved after the grafting procedure. Fluorescence characterization showed that the obtained organic–inorganic hybrid composite displayed highly selective and sensitive to Zn2+ ion over other cations such as Cd2+, Pb2+, Ni2+ and Co2+. And the hybrid material has ideal chemical and spectroscopic properties for further biological and environmental applications.

An inorganic-organic hybrid fluorescence chemosensor (DA/SBA-15) was prepared by covalent immobilization of a dansylamide derivative into the channels of mesoporous silica material SBA-15 via (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) groups. The primary hexagonally ordered mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was preserved after the grafting procedure. Fluorescence characterization shows that the obtained inorganic-organic hybrid composite is highly selective and sensitive to Hg(2+) detection, suggesting the possibility for real-time qualitative or quantitative detection of Hg(2+) and the convenience for potential application in toxicology and environmental science.