Selective detection of ferric ions by blue-green photoluminescent nitrogen-doped phenol formaldehyde resin polymer

Abstract

The smaller, the more fluorescent: The hydrothermal reaction of phenol with hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) leads to two morphologies of phenol formaldehyde resin (PFR), namely, bigger nanoparticles with feeble green fluorescence and smaller amorphous polymers with strong blue-green fluorescence. It reveals that both of them are doped with nitrogen, and the blue-green photoluminescent polymer is confirmed to sense ferric ion (Fe(3+) ) with high selectivity.

Keywords: doping; ferric ion; phenol formaldehyde resin; photoluminescence; sensors.