Uranyl soil extraction and fluorescence enhancement by nanoporous silica gel: pH effects.
Nanoporous silica gel was employed to extract uranyl from contaminated soil and to enhance the fluorescence intensity and lifetime. The fluorescence lifetime and intensity of uranyl ions absorbed within nanoporous silica gel was measured from pH 1-13. The results show that the uranyl fluorescence intensity can be enhanced by approximately two orders of magnitude by the silica nanoporous matrix from pH 4-12 with the greatest enhancement occurring from pH 4-7. The enhanced fluorescence lifetime can be used in time-gated measurements to help minimize the influence of background environmental fluorophores.
Chen
Chien-Cheng
CC
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.
Pestov
Dmitry
D
Nelson
Jean D
JD
Anderson
John E
JE
Tepper
Gary
G