A benzimidazole derivative based LMCT sensor for the detection of Cu2+ in DMSO/H2O (2:3 v/v) solution and its application in implication logic gates

Abstract Reversible dual channel sensor F2 for detection Cu2+ is designed and synthesized. F2 is substantially unaffected by other cationic ions during the recognition of Cu2+. It is worth noting that the low detection limit of sensor F2 is 9.09 × 10−9, and the detection limit is lower that to the reported sensor for identifying Cu2+. Through various experiments and characterization, it is proved that ligand-metal charge transfer (LMCT) is the interaction mechanism between F2 and Cu2+. It is further certified that the stoichiometry between F2 and Cu2+ is 1:1. In addition, the fluorescence changes of F2 upon the addition of Cu2+ and EDTA are applied as an ultrasensitive IMPLICATION logic gate at the molecular level. At the same time, molecular keyboard experiments have achieved information protection at the molecular level. More importantly, the test strips containing F2 can be easily and quickly tested to achieve on-site inspection.