Bipyrene-functionalized graphene as a "turn-on" fluorescence sensor for manganese(II) ions in living cells

1,2-bis-(2-pyren-1-ylmethylamino-ethoxy) ethane (NPEY) was synthesized and brought to the surface of graphene nanosheets (GNs) via π-π stacking, which provided a simple and convenient route for processing "turn-on" fluorescent sensor by simply mixing the diluted aqueous solutions of both components. The synthesized NPEY modified graphene nanosheets (NPEY-GNs) not only allows good selectivity toward Mn(2+) with the detection limit of 4.6 × 10(-5) M, but also shows "turn-on" response for Mn(2+) both in vitro and in living cells. These sensing capabilities of NPEY-GNs in living cells make it a robust candidate for many biological fields, such as intracellular tracking, intracellular imaging, etc.