Fluorescent probes in public health and public safety

With the development of human civilization, the international situation is becoming more and more diversified and multipolar. Public health and safety issues have attracted increasing attention. To develop in situ, real-time and sensitive on-site detection technology is the key element to deal with public safety events. Fluorescent probes are increasingly used in the detection of public safety and public health due to their high selectivity, rapid response and simplicity. Based on the existing knowledge and our experiences, in this review, we comprehensively discuss the molecular design approaches of fluorescence probes in the field of public safety and health, and highlight the state-of-the-art paradigms in analytes detection, such as various narcotics, food additives, latent fingerprints, explosives and poisons. Moreover, the challenges and issues that need to be addressed in the future and a perspective in this research field are also provided. We hope this Review will give a general guidance and complementary insights for the future development of intelligently designed fluorescent probes, spurring the use in practice.