Ratiometric fluorescence probe for fluoride ion detection based on di-catechol substituted naphthalene scaffold

A novel sensing platform is described that uses di-catechol functionalized luminogen cis-DiCat as scaffold coordinated with phenylboronic acid, which realizes the rapid and quantitative detection for fluoride ions with good sensitivity, selectivity and stability. Ratiometric fluorescence measurements show that the detection limit is as low as 0.044 mM, which has reached the standard value suggested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Detailed sensing mechanism is elucidated via both experimental and theoretical approaches.