An AIE active Y-shaped diimidazolylbenzene: aggregation and disaggregation for Cd(2+) and Fe(3+) sensing in aqueous solution.

A simple Y-shaped dimb with AIE properties was designed and synthesized. It showed selective fluorescence turn-on toward Cd(2+) ion in MeCN-water (2 : 8, v/v) through aggregation, and also selective fluorescence turn-off toward Fe(3+) ion in MeCN-water (1 : 99, v/v) through disaggregation.