An aggregation-induced emission based “turn-on” fluorescent chemodosimeter for the selective detection of Pb2+ ions

An aggregation-induced emission (AIE) based “turn-on” fluorescent chemodosimeter for selective detection of Pb²⁺ ions has been developed. The probe is a phosphate functionalized tetraphenylethylene derivative and the resulting lead–TPE complex has very low solubility in working solvent and triggers AIE and shows a low detection limit of 10 ppb.