Development of a fluorescent probe based on a tricyano structure for the detection of PhSH in environmental and biological samples

In this study, a NIR fluorescent probe based on ICT principles was developed for the detection of phenylthiophenol. An excellent fluorescent mother nucleus is constructed with tricyano groups, and benzenesulfonate was introduced as a specific recognition site for thiophene, which can be used for rapid detection of thiophenol. The probe has a significant Stokes shift (220 nm). Meanwhile, it had rapid response to thiophene and high specificity. The fluorescence intensity of the probe at 700 nm showed a good linear relationship with thiophene concentration in the range of 0 to 100 μM, and the detection limit was as low as 45 nM. The probe had also been successfully applied to the detection of thiophene in real water samples. MTT assay showed low cytotoxicity and excellent fluorescence imaging in live cells.