Recent progress in the development of organic small-molecule and functional material fluorescent probes for formaldehyde detection and imaging

Formaldehyde (FA) is one of the most important reactive carbonyl species. It is not only exogenously generated from the environment but also continuously produced in most organisms. Low concentrations of FA take part in several important physiological processes, while elevated levels of FA are associated with different kinds of diseases. Fluorescent probes have emerged as promising chemical tools for FA detection and real-time visualization in food, air, and living organisms, etc., enabling the discovery of the diverse functions of FA in physiology and pathology processes. This review will summarize recent progress in the development of FA probes, including both small-molecular organic FA probes and functional material-based probes. In addition, prospects for future design and research will be also discussed.