A coumarin-containing Schiff base fluorescent probe with AIE effect for the copper(ii) ion

A novel coumarin-derived Cu2+-selective Schiff base fluorescent "turn-off" chemosensor CTPE was successfully obtained, which showed an AIE effect. It could identify Cu2+ by quenching its fluorescence. The lower limit of detection was 0.36 μM. CTPE can act as a highly selective and sensitive fluorescence probe for detecting Cu2+.