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Updated: Jan 17, 2026

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells
Published on: May 16, 2019
J-aggregate fluorescence probe constructed based on AIE units for analysis of Zn2+, Cu2+ ions in food and biological
Taiyi Chen1, Xiaoping Lin1, Peisong Li1
1Hunan Engineering Research Center for Monitoring and Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Upper Reaches of Xiangjiang River, College of Chemistry and Material Science, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421001, PR China.
Abstract:
The precise detection of metal ions is crucial in food safety, biomedical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring. Although traditional "on-off" fluorescence probes are frequently utilized, their anti-interference capability remains a limitation. This study synthesized three new copper-based fluorescent probes: PTA, PTP, and PTD. Among them, PTD exhibited unique aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties. PTD's remarkable selectivity for Zn2+ was due to the formation of Zn2+-induced J-aggregates, which resulted in a concentration-dependent fluorescence redshift from green to yellow and then to red. Additionally, PTD demonstrated a rapid and sensitive response to Cu2+, and it was successfully integrated into a smartphone-based platform for the semi-quantitative detection of Zn2+ and Cu2+ in real food samples. The effectiveness in biological applications was also validated through live-cell imaging tests. This work contributes to the creation of highly selective and interference-resistant ratiometric fluorescence sensors by leveraging the special process of target metal ion-induced J-aggregate production in AIE-based probes.
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