A novel AIE fluorescent probe for the monitoring of aluminum ions in living cells and zebrafish.

A novel fluorescent probe BTD with aggregation induced emission (AIE) characteristics for the monitoring of Al3+ was developed. This fluorescent probe could be used to detect Al3+ in aqueous solution under mild conditions, along with high sensitivity and high selectivity. The detection limit of the probe BTD for Al3+ is as low as 3.25 nM, which is below the WHO recommendation concentration (7.41 μM) for drinking water. Furthermore, this probe was successfully applied to the sensing of Al3+ in living cells and zebrafish.