A chemiluminescence sensor based on perylene diimide-based polymer for the rapid, sensitive and accurate detection of bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA), as a representative endocrine disrupting compound, is harmful to human health even at very low doses. The chemiluminescence (CL) method used to detect BPA often uses hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant. Due to the instability of hydrogen peroxide, it is difficult to ensure the accuracy of the detection. Herein, a novel CL system based on disulfide bonds-containing perylene diimide-based conjugated polymer (SHPDI) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) was designed for the rapid, sensitive and accurate detection of BPA. In this system, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by Co²⁺ and PMS activation oxidizes the S-S and -SH bonds in SHPDI to sulfoxide bonds, resulting in a strong CL signal. Meanwhile, the CO bonds and delocalized π electrons in SHPDI also promote PMS decomposition and the production of more ROS, which is beneficial for strong CL. The proposed CL sensor based on the SHPDI-Co(II)-PMS system exhibited a rapid and sensitive response to BPA in as short as 10 seconds, leading to a noticeable linear reduction in the CL intensity in the range of 0.005–2 μM with a detection limit of 0.72 nM (S/N = 3). The CL method has been successfully used for the direct detection of trace amounts of BPA in barreled drinking water.