Development of a fluorescent probe based on the cyanine skeleton for the detection of PhSH

In this study, a cyanine skeleton fluorescent parent core was designed based on the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) principle, and 2, 4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was used as the specific recognition site for phenylthiophene (PhSH). The probe showed a fluorescence transition from colorless to red under 410 nm excitation, which had the characteristics of fast response, high selectivity, low detection limit (55 nM), and the fluorescence intensity showed a positive linear correlation with PhSH concentration in the range of 0–100 μM (R² = 0.9921). Furthermore, the recovery rate of PhSH detection in real water samples was 94 %–104 %, and the probe showed excellent fluorescence imaging effect in living cells.