A highly selective fluorescent chemosensor for Cd2+ based on a new diarylethene with a pyridine-linked methylquinoline unit

• A new diarylethene with a pyridine-linked methylquinoline unit has been synthesized.
• Its multifunctional fluorescent switching behaviors were systematically investigated.
• It can serve as a fluorescence chemosensor towards Cd2+ with high selectivity.

A new fluorescent chemosensor for recognition of Cd2+ has been constructed by attaching methylquinoline to a photochromic diarylethene skeleton as photoswitching trigger via a pyridyl linkage. Its multifunctional fluorescent switching characteristics induced by light, Cd2+, and proton were systematically investigated. The diarylethene could serve as a fluorescence chemosensor for recognition of Cd2+ with high selectivity, avoiding the interference of Zn2+. In addition, the fluorescence of the diarylethene could be effectively modulated by light and proton. Consequently, two logic circuits were constructed by using the fluorescence intensity as output signals with the combinational stimuli of light and chemical species as inputs.

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