A highly sensitive and selective fluorescent probe based on a Pd-catalyzed reaction for detection of Pd2+

A novel off-on fluorescent probe ACBT, using a readily available dye 2-(2 '-aminophenyl) benzothiazole as the fluorophore, for the determination of Pd2+ was designed and synthesized in this work. Based on a palladium triggered cleavage reaction, the probe ACBT exhibited rapid response time (<2 min), and high selectivity and sensitivity towards Pd2+ in aqueous solution under mild conditions. The detection limit of probe ACBT towards Pd2+ was estimated to be as low as 2.6 nM. Furthermore, fabrication of probe ACBT test strips was achieved for a convenient visual detection of palladium. In addition, it also has been successfully applied to detect Pd2+ in environmental water samples with satisfactory results, indicating that the use of probe ACBT could be a potential and feasible method to detect Pd2+ in environmental systems.