Fabrication of Liquid Crystal Optical Sensors Using Cyclodextrin Polymer for Real Time, Selective and Visible Detection of Industrial Dyes in Contaminated Natural Water Samples

Industrial wastewater release of dyes poses serious environmental and health risks when introduced into natural water systems. Herein, a cyclodextrin-based polymer sensor (Ech-CDP) is developed for real-time, visible detection of harmful methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes in distilled and contaminated natural water samples. The sensor works through a competitive host-guest mechanism between sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and Ech-CDP, altering liquid crystal alignment. Initially, SDS induces homeotropic ordering, which shifts to a tilted state upon binding with Ech-CDP. The presence of MB or MO displaces SDS, reverting the alignment and causing a visible bright-to-dark transition under polarizers. The sensor exhibits high selectivity, with detection limits of 0.03 mM for MB and 0.05 mM for MO in aqueous solutions, and 0.08 mM for MB and 0.26 mM for MO in real water samples, remains effective for 3 days, and is unaffected by pH variations between 4.8 and 9.1. Additionally, the sensor demonstrates an on–off switching capability, suggesting potential applications for molecular logic gates and advancing environmental monitoring techniques in dye-polluted waters.