Graphite-like graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) has gained considerable interest in the past few years. However, merely a few studies have been undertaken regarding the application of g-C 3 N 4 for metal adsorption and visible-lightdriven reduction of aromatic nitro compounds. Here, we describe a versatile method for the preparation of g-C 3 N 4 nanocomposite decorated with magnetite nanoparticles (g-C 3 N 4 @Fe 3 O 4 NPs) that subsequently showed their efficiency in sequestration of Cr(VI)/Cr(III) and NaBH 4 -mediated conversion of 2-nitroaniline (2-NA) and 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) under visible-light exposure. The as-synthesized g-C 3 N 4 @Fe 3 O 4 NPs adsorbent revealed excellent water dispersibility, superior magnetic property, and porous structure. Numerous surface hydroxyls (−OH) and amino groups (−N, −NH, −NH 2 ) enabled g-C 3 N 4 @Fe 3 O 4 NPs to rapidly isolate Cr(VI) from aqueous solution through applying an outer magnetic field. The adsorbed Cr(VI) on the g-C 3 N 4 @Fe 3 O 4 NPs surface offered a maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity of 555 mg g −1 , and their absorption behavior followed the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The morphology, surface properties, crystalline structure, and chemical compositions of g-C 3 N 4 @Fe 3 O 4 NPs were thoroughly investigated. In real-world applications, g-C 3 N 4 @Fe 3 O 4 NPs was implemented for the determination of total chromium in industrial soil sludge samples. Additionally, NaBH 4 -induced reduction of 2-NA to 2-aminoaniline and 4-NA to 4-aminoaniline catalyzed by g-C 3 N 4 @ Fe 3 O 4 NPs (catalyst loading as low as 20 mg) was achieved within 8 min.
Aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) of thiolated gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) has emerged as an attractive and alternative strategy to improve their brightness. This study demonstrates Ce(iii)-triggered AIEE of glutathione-capped AuNCs (GSH-AuNCs) through the coordination between two carboxylic groups of GSH and Ce(iii). The cluster size and valence state of GSH-AuNCs are almost identical to those of a Ce(iii)-induced assembly of GSH-AuNCs (named Ce(iii)-GSH-AuNCs). More importantly, the as-prepared Ce(iii)-GSH-AuNCs exhibit a higher quantum yield (up to 13%), longer luminescence lifetime, and shorter maximum luminescence peak than GSH-AuNCs. Additionally, Ce(iii)-GSH-AuNCs possess redox-switchable luminescence, high salt stability, and long-term storage stability. These findings provide clear evidence that the Ce(iii)-triggered aggregation of GSH-AuNCs is a crucial factor to improve the luminescence property of GSH-AuNCs. Intriguingly, the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) switches off the luminescence of Ce(iii)-GSH AuNCs through the significant formation of Ce(iii)-ATP complexes. Furthermore, the ATP-induced luminescence quenching of Ce(iii)-GSH-AuNCs can be paired with the alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-ATP system to design a turn-on luminescent probe for ALP; the limit of detection for ALP is estimated to be 0.03 U L-1. Also, the biocompatibility of Ce(iii)-GSH-AuNCs enables the proposed system to detect ALP in human serum and HeLa cells.
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