Ultraselective fluorescent sensing of Hg(2+) through metal coordination-induced molecular aggregation

A new type of fluorescent sensor has been developed from a perylene based molecule, N, N'-dideoxythymidine-3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic diimide (TT-PTCDI); the strong, highly selective binding between the thymine ligand ( T) and Hg(2+) ion enables efficient sensing of mercury ions based on a fluorescence quenching mechanism, which is primarily caused by metal-coordination induced molecular aggregation.