A turn-off fluorescent probe for the detection of Cu²⁺based on a tetraphenylethylene-functionalized salicylaldehyde Schiff-base

Abstract

A tetraphenylethylene-functionalized salicylaldehyde Schiff-base fluorescent probe (<bold>TPE-An-Py</bold>) with aggregation-induced enhanced emission (AIEE) characteristics exhibited high sensitivity towards copper(<sc>ii</sc>) ions in aqueous media with a “turn-off” fluorescence mechanism; limit of detection is 2.36 × 10⁻⁷mol L⁻¹.