A turn-off fluorescent probe for the detection of Cu2+ based on a tetraphenylethylene-functionalized salicylaldehyde Schiff-base

A tetraphenylethylene-functionalized salicylaldehyde Schiff-base fluorescent probe (TPE-An-Py) with aggregation-induced enhanced emission (AIEE) characteristics exhibited high sensitivity towards copper(ii) ions in aqueous media with a “turn-off” fluorescence mechanism; limit of detection is 2.36 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹.