A "Turn-On" fluorescent probe for sensitive and selective detection of fluoride ions based on aggregation-induced emission

Man Du; Baolong Huo; Mengwen Li; Ao Shen; Xue Bai; Yaru Lai; Jiemin Liu; Yunxu Yang

doi:10.1039/c8ra06774k

A "Turn-On" fluorescent probe for sensitive and selective detection of fluoride ions based on aggregation-induced emission

RSC Adv. 2018 Sep 19;8(57):32497-32505. doi: 10.1039/c8ra06774k. eCollection 2018 Sep 18.

Authors

Man Du¹, Baolong Huo¹, Mengwen Li¹, Ao Shen¹, Xue Bai¹, Yaru Lai¹, Jiemin Liu¹, Yunxu Yang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing Beijing 100083 China yxyang@ustb.edu.cn liujm@ustb.edu.cn.

Abstract

Based on the fluorophore of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (HBT) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties, a highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probe PBT towards F^- was investigated. "Turn-On" fluorescence type signaling was realized by employing fluoride-selective cleavage of the latent thiophosphinated probe in mixed aqueous media. The probe is designed in such a way that the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of the HBT moiety becomes blocked. The chemodosimetric approach of F^- to the probe results in the recovery of the ESIPT by removal of a free AIE-active HBT moiety through a subsequent hydrolysis process. The F^- detection limit of the probe was 3.8 nM in the dynamic range of 0.5 μM to 10 μM. In addition, the proposed probe has been used to detect F^- in water samples and toothpaste samples with satisfying results.