A selective NIR-emitting zinc sensor by using Schiff base binding to turn-on excited-state intramolecular proton transfer

A rational design has led to a highly selective and cell-permeable zinc sensor, which exhibits not only a large fluorescence turn-on at similar to 545 nm but also the desirable NIR emission (similar to 720 nm) with a large Stokes' shift, providing a practical sensor platform with two emission channels for reliable zinc detection.