Micellar and vesicular nanoassemblies of triazole-based amphiphilic probes triggered by mercury(II) ions in a 100% aqueous medium.

ABA-type amphiphiles bearing a triazole-based aromatic block were easily synthesized using click chemistry, which act as fluorescent turn-off Hg(2+)-chemoprobes in an aqueous solution. Interestingly, the metal-binding process of amphiphiles induced nanoassemblies even below the CMCs, and the binding stoichiometry affected the morphologies of the resultant nanostructures.