A new selective fluorescent sensor for Zn(II) ions based on poly(azomethine-urethane)

A new and selective fluorescent sensor based on poly(azomethine-urethane) (PAMU) is synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, H-1 NMR, and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) techniques. The new sensor shows a high selectivity for Zn(II) over other metal cations in DMF/deionized H2O (1:2, v/v). The fluorescence sensor gives a linearly and highly stable response to Zn(II) as an increasing emission peak at 595 nm. The sensitivity limit of the new sensor is found to be 11.4 x 10(-3) mol L-1. The results show that the proposed sensor can be efficiently used as a simple method for the detection of Zn(II) ions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.