A Schiff base fluorescent chemsensor for the double detection of Al3+ and PPi through aggregation induced emission in environmental physiology

In this paper, a simple Schiff base fluorescent probe was synthesized by aggregation-induced emission. The probe detected Al 3+ with an “off-on” behavior, because the molecular rotation was restricted, the molecular rigidity was increased. The stoichiometry ratio of the probe to Al 3+ was 1: 2. The detection limit of Al 3+ was 0.39 μM, which was exceedingly below the WHO standard (7.41 μM) and the acceptable Al 3+ levels of (1.85 μM) in drinking water. In view of the strong binding ability between pyrophosphate (PPi) and Al 3+ , the probe-Al 3+ detected PPi with an “on-off” behavior over other physiological relevant metal ions, anion and biomolecules investigated in this study. The detection limit of PPi was 0.75 μM. Therefore, the proposed probe is a promising fluorescent sensor that can be used to detect Al 3+ and PPi.