First Dual Responsive Turn-On and Ratiometric AlEgen Probe for Selective Detection of Hydrazine Both in Solution and the Vapour Phase

A new dual responsive turn-on and ratiometric aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AlEgen) 3-formyl-5-(piperidin-1-yl)biphenyl-4-carbonitrile 6a (FPBC 6a) for selective detection of hydrazine in solution as well as in vapour phase is described. At a low concentration of 2.5 mu M, the probe FPBC 6a is non-fluorescent (turn-off) but remarkably lights up (turn-on with blue emission) in the presence of hydrazine solution (0.25-25 mu m). Interestingly, at higher concentrations, the nanoaggregates of FPBC 6a (>25 mu m, 99% HEPES in DMSO) displayed ratiometric response in the presence of hydrazine with a remarkable hypsochromic shift from the green (500550 nm) to blue regions (440-480 nm). Furthermore, a real application of FPBC 6a was successfully demonstrated through the detection and visualization of hydrazine in live cervical cancer cells as well as using portable test strips.