AIEgens-functionalised hydroxyapatite rods for explosive detection in water and pH-triggered drug delivery

Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) and carboxylic groups functionalised hydroxyapatite rods were prepared by a one-pot condensation process. The obtained materials emit strong blue light centered at 479 nm under UV irradiation, exhibiting typical AIE property. Such materials can serve as efficient fluorescent sensors for the detection of explosive picric acid (PA), with excellent quenching constant of 3.3 x 10(4) M-1 in the water solution. In addition, the obtained materials can react with the drug molecules such as anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) through hydrazone bond, and serve as effective pH-triggered drug release systems, showing potential application in biomedicine. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.