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Review
. 2025 Jun;35(6):3799-3828.
doi: 10.1007/s10895-024-03843-1. Epub 2024 Jul 17.

Mechanistic Innovations in Fluorescent Chemosensors for Detecting Toxic Ions: PET, ICT, ESIPT, FRET and AIE Approaches

Duraisamy Udhayakumari  1
Affiliations
Review

Mechanistic Innovations in Fluorescent Chemosensors for Detecting Toxic Ions: PET, ICT, ESIPT, FRET and AIE Approaches

Duraisamy Udhayakumari. J Fluoresc. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Fluorescent chemosensors have become vital tools for detecting toxic ions due to their exceptional sensitivity, selectivity, and rapid response times. These sensors function through various mechanisms, each providing unique advantages for specific applications. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the mechanistic innovations in fluorescent chemosensors, emphasizing five key approaches: Photoinduced Electron Transfer (PET), Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), Intramolecular Charge Transfer (ICT), Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE), and Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT). We highlight the substantial progress made in developing these chemosensors, discussing their design principles, sensing mechanisms, and practical applications, with a particular focus on their use in detecting toxic ions relevant to environmental and biological contexts.

Keywords: Detection; Fluorescence; Fluorophores; Mechanisms; Sensing; Toxic analytes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing Interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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