The synthesis of pillar[5]arene functionalized graphene as a fluorescent probe for paraquat in living cells and mice.

As complex organisms vary in vivo, it remains a challenging task to get fluorescence 'turn on' imaging for special targets. To address this task, we have adopted a new strategy of inducing pillararene based host-guest interactions onto biocompatible graphene. By means of fluorescence competition displacement, hydrazino-pillar[5]arene modified graphene has been synthesized and provided as a 'turn on' probe for paraquat through monitoring of the fluorescence signal both in living cells and mice.