In this work, a natural product probe, kaempferol, which exhibited aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic in water/tetrahydrofuran (THF) binary solvent was explored. The probe showed high resistance to photobleaching capacity and excellent selectivity towards Al3+ in the aggregation state. Upon the addition of Al3+, the probe displayed more than 12-fold (I486/I421) fluorescence intensity enhancement, accompanied by a color change, suggesting that the aggregated kaempferol can be used as a ratiometric probe for Al3+ detecting. Notably, promising selectivity to Al3+ within the pH range of 6-8 made the probe suitable for physiological conditions. Further Arabidopsis thaliana root imaging experiment demonstrated that the probe could image Al3+ in the plant.
Keywords: Aggregation-induced emission; Aluminum ion; Arabidopsis thaliana; Fluorescent sensing and imaging; Kaempferol.
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