Synthesis of Prussian blue-embedded porous polymer for detection and removal of Cs ions

A Prussian blue (PB)-embedded coordination polymer (COP) was prepared by simple incorporation of PB into a COP composed of 1,1,2,2-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)ethane and the Zn ion during the synthesis of COP. The PB-COP was prepared as micro-sized particles with green emission (490 nm) from the strongly fluorescent tetraphenylethene group in the solid state through aggregation-induced emission. The PB-COP showed particle shape with sizes ranging from 1 to 6 μm. As the PB in PB-COP efficiently adsorbed Cs ions, the microstructure of PB-COP was degraded to smaller particles, along with a concomitant decrease in the green fluorescence of the PB-COP. Such a decrease in the green emission of PB-COP was used as a signal for the presence of Cs ions, in which the limit of detection for Cs ions was found to be 73.8 ppb. The hybridized material of the PB-COP can be used as both an efficient adsorbent and a sensor for Cs ions, achieving simultaneous removal and detection.