Heavy metal sensors and sequestrating agents based on polyaromatic copolymers and hydrogels

A series of readily available, amphiphilic pyrene‐ and perylene‐containing fluorescent materials, derived from the co‐polymerisation of 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanesulfonic acid with acrylate esters, can be used to detect heavy metal ions in the micromolar concentration range in aqueous solutions. The incorporation of these amphiphilic copolymers into semi‐interpenetrating hydrogels also resulted in the irreversible removal of divalent Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions from aqueous solutions at neutral pH.