An Ir(iii) cyclometalate-functionalized molecularly imprinted polymer: photophysics, photochemistry and chemosensory applications

A luminescent trimethylamine (TMA) sensor, PTMA-Ir, has been designed and synthesized through immobilizing a phosphorescent iridium(iii) complex on a TMA-imprinted polymer. Detailed study shows that the quenching of phosphorescence of PTMA-Ir can serve as a reporter for the binding of TMA on the imprinting sites, thus providing a sensitive, selective, and rapid detection of TMA in both aqueous solutions and gaseous states. Loading PTMA-Ir on filter paper produced a deposition T-Ir, the phosphorescence of which is quenched within 5 s upon exposure to TMA vapor with detection limits of 9.0 +/- 0.1 ppm under argon and 15.0 +/- 0.1 ppm in an air atmosphere. This work provided an effective method for establishing an imprinting polymer-immobilized luminescent amine sensor.