Abstract
The adverse effects that thiourea can induce in biological systems demand the development of new methods for its detection. In this work, we present a iridium(III) complex-based chemosensor (1) containing a recognition unit for thiourea. The reaction of the recognition unit with thiourea affects the long-lived excited states of the complex, leading to an enhancement of luminescence. Complex 1 showed a 3.3-fold enhanced luminescence in the presence of thiorea and a good linear relationship with thiourea ranging from 10 to 200 μM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.85 μM. By using time-resolved emission spectroscopy (TRES), complex 1 could detect thiourea in the presence of interfering fluorescence. Moreover, complex 1 offers the capability to image thiourea in living HeLa cells. To our knowledge, complex 1 is the first iridium(III) complex-based sensor reported for imaging thiourea in living cells.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 374-379 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical |
Volume | 251 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2017 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Instrumentation
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Metals and Alloys
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Materials Chemistry
User-Defined Keywords
- Chemosensor
- Iridium(III) complex
- Luminescence
- Thiourea