Pyrene Derivative Emitting Red or near-Infrared Light with Monomer/Excimer Conversion and Its Application to Ratiometric Detection of Hypochlorite

Fluorescent sensors are attractive and versatile tools for both chemical sensing and biological imaging. Herein, a novel pyrene derivative fluorophore, Py-Cy, possessing the monomer/excimer conversion feature, was synthesized; and the design rationale for this fluorophore is combination of extending conjugation length and incorporating donor-π-acceptor structure. The positively charged Py-Cy shows quite good water solubility and exhibits absorption in the visible-light range, and its monomer and excimer emit red light and near-infrared light respectively, which is extremely beneficial for biosensing or bioimaging. To explore the potential utilization of this new fluorophore, we choose hypochlorite as a model analyte, which can break the double bond in the molecular structure, thereby generating the water-insoluble pyrenecarboxaldehyde; this process correspondingly leads to fluorescence changes and thus affords the ratiometric fluorescent detection of hypochlorite in real samples and cell imaging. The approach offers new insights for designing other fluorophores which emit red or near-infrared light and for devising technically simple ratiometric fluorescent sensors.