A dual-mode mechanism terpyridine-based fluorescent probe (Tpy-Zn) for ATP sensing

As the "energy currency" of cells, adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) is widely involved in the storage and transfer of energy in organisms and plays a very significant role in life activities. In this paper, a simple terpyridine-based probe (Tpy-Zn) was investigated with the aim of developing a selective sensor for ATP over other phosphate anions. The results show a 5-fold fluorescence enhancement for the selective response to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in ethanol. The sensing mechanism was investigated and π-π interactions and metal anion coordination between ATP and the probe (Tpy-Zn) were found. With a low detection limit of 0.15 μM, the probe can also be used for ATP detection in real water samples.