Ksp-manipulated multielement-hybridized carbon nanodots aggregation for facile ultra-sensitive detection and efficient selective removal of lead ion

Lead ion (Pb-II) is a prevalent and highly toxic heavy metal ion that necessitates monitoring and removal for environmental and health reasons. The concurrent detection and removal of Pb-II from polluted water continues to pose a significant challenge. Herein, a novel multielement-hybridized luminescent carbon nanodots named MHCDs with boron, nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorus has been successfully synthesized and optimized through conscious proportion manipulation of precursors. The MHCDs exhibited a unique visible-ultraviolet upconverted property due to multiphoton active recombination caused by crosslinking of multi-elements. Notably, the MHCDs showed exceptional selectivity towards Pb-II due to the large K-sp between surface selective Pb-II-binding sites and Pb-II, achieving ultra-fast and ultra-low detection for Pb-II (2.19 ppb) through K-sp-manipulated aggregation-induced enhancement. Furthermore, Pb-II could be efficiently separated and enriched from contaminated water through K-sp-manipulated MHCDs aggregation precipitation, with a high adsorption capacity of similar to 600 mg g(-1) without the need for external mediums. Benefitting from the excellent adsorption capacity, the MHCDs demonstrated impressive removal rates (>96 %) in Pb-II-containing wastewater samples. This study not only presents a versatile approach for simultaneous detection and removal of Pb-II, but also opens new avenues for developing environmentally friendly nanomaterials for concurrent monitoring and remediation of heavy metal ions through strategic precursor design.