An ultra-sensitive and ratiometric fluorescent probe based on the DTBET process for Hg2+ detection and imaging applications

Yin Jiang; Qinya Duan; Guansheng Zheng; Liu Yang; Jie Zhang; Yafeng Wang; Huatang Zhang; Jun He; Hongyan Sun; Derek Ho

doi:10.1039/c8an02126k

An ultra-sensitive and ratiometric fluorescent probe based on the DTBET process for Hg²⁺ detection and imaging applications

Analyst. 2019 Feb 21;144(4):1353-1360. doi: 10.1039/c8an02126k. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

Authors

Yin Jiang¹, Qinya Duan¹, Guansheng Zheng¹, Liu Yang², Jie Zhang², Yafeng Wang³, Huatang Zhang¹, Jun He¹, Hongyan Sun², Derek Ho⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China. htzhang@gdut.edu.cn.
² Department of Chemistry and Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF), City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. hongysun@cityu.edu.hk and Key Laboratory of Biochip Technology, Biotech and Health Centre, Shenzhen Research Institute of City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 518057, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Biochip Technology, Biotech and Health Centre, Shenzhen Research Institute of City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 518057, China.
⁴ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. derekho@cityu.edu.hk.

PMID: 30565594
DOI: 10.1039/c8an02126k

Abstract

In this article, we present an ultra-sensitive and ratiometric fluorescent probe (TR-Hg) for Hg²⁺ detection based on the mechanism of aggregation induced emission (AIE) and dark through-bond energy transfer (DTBET). The probe was constructed using tetraphenylethene as the dark donor and rhodamine B thiolactone as the acceptor. By exploiting the advantages of DTBET, which eliminates emission leakage from dark donors and provides nearly 100% energy transfer efficiency, TR-Hg exhibits more than a 30 000-fold fluorescence ratio enhancement after reacting with Hg²⁺. TR-Hg demostrates (i) a detection limit of 43 pM, which is the lowest among the reported ratiometric Hg²⁺ probes, (ii) excellent selectivity, fast response-time (<10 s) and a wide pH application range, (iii) strong applicability for paper-based colorimetric assay, where readout can be performed by the naked eye, and (iv) fluorescent imaging of Hg²⁺ in onion epidermal tissues, indicating its potential use in living organisms.