A tetraphenylethylene-based “turn on” fluorescent sensor for the rapid detection of Ag+ ions with high selectivity

•A “turn on” fluorescent chemosensor was developed to detect Ag+ ions.•The binding of chemosensor with Ag+ ions forms fluorescent nanoaggregates.•The chemosensor bonds Ag+ ions with a stoichiometric ratio of 1:2.•A 14-fold fluorescence enhancement with a large stokes shift (135 nm) was observed.•A low detection limit of 8.74 × 10−7 M was obtained.

A new fast-responsive “turn on” fluorescent sensor for Ag+ was successfully developed by taking advantage of the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property of tetraphenylethylene motif with a detection limit of 8.74 × 10−7 M. The sensor exhibits highly selective and sensitive recognition toward Ag+ ions over the other 12 metal ions due to the high electrophilic and thiophilic character of Ag+ ions. The 1H NMR titration and dynamic light scattering (DLS) spectra conclude that the binding of the sensor with Ag+ ions forms fluorescent nanoaggregates in aqueous media due to its AIE enhancement. A stoichiometric ratio (1:2) of the sensor and Ag+ was determined by a Job’s plot.

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