A novel aggregation induced emission active cyclometalated Ir(III) complex as a luminescent probe for detection of copper(II) ion in aqueous solution

We report the synthesis and characterization of a novel aggregation induced emission (AIE) active cyclometalated Ir(III) complex, namely [Ir(dfppy)2(phen-DPA)]PF6, where dfppy and phen-DPA represent 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine and 2-(bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)-N-(1,10-phenanthrolin-5-yl)acetamide, respectively. The complex showed remarkable selectivity for copper(II) in aqueous solution over other competitive ions. Furthermore, this sensor showed a rapid and reversible response to copper(II) in aqueous solution with a detection limit of 65 nM.