A Competitive "On-Off-Enhanced On" AIE Fluorescence Switch for Detecting Biothiols Based on Hg²⁺ Ions and Gold...

In this study, a novel "on-off-enhanced on" approach to highly sensitive rapid sensing of biothiols was developed, based on competitive modulation of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and Hg²⁺ ions. In our approach, the AuNCs were encapsulated into a zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF) for predesigned competitive aggregation-induced luminescence (AIE) emission. To readily operate this approach, the Hg²⁺ ions were selected as mediators to quench the fluorescence of AuNCs. Then, due to the stronger affinities between the interactions of Hg²⁺ ions with -SH groups in comparison to the AuNCs with -SH groups, the quenched probe of AuNCs@ZIF-8/Hg²⁺ displayed enhanced fluorescence after the Hg²⁺ ions were competitively interacted with -SH groups. Based on enhanced fluorescence, the probe for AuNCs@ZIF-8/Hg²⁺ had a sensitive and specific response to trace amounts of biothiols. The developed fluorescence strategy had limit of quantification (LOQ) values of 1.0 μM and 1.5 μM for Cys and GSH molecules in serum, respectively. This competitive AIE strategy provided a new direction for developing biological probes and a promising method for quantifying trace amounts of biothiols in serum. It could promote progress in disease diagnosis.