Unique hemispherical coordination-drivened pesticide residue probes: Enhanced stability in linear recognition for...

Trifluralin (TRL) is an effective and persistent herbicide, but its extensive and prolonged use has increasingly posed ecological and environmental health risks, making the development of convenient and rapid TRL detection methods essential for environmental protection and food safety. In the present research, a novel fluorescent probe was designed and developed, Zn-χ-L, for the rapid and selective detection of TRL in complex environments. The sensor demonstrates excellent sensitivity and stability, while also exhibiting significant resistance to interference from other pesticides and metal ions. Moreover, Zn-χ-L exhibited stable performance across various solvents and showed resistance to interference from other pesticides and metal ions. Molecular docking and theoretical calculations indicate that the unique recognition of TRL molecules by Zn-χ-L is related to its specific hemispheric structural feature, which forms strong coordination interactions between Zn-χ-L and TRL through coordination bonds, π-π stacking, and halogen bonds. This special conformation not only enables the formation of coordination bonds but also establishes multiple π-π stacking and halogen bonding interactions between Zn-χ-L and TRL, leading to efficient charge transfer and exceptional probe performance.