Surfactant-induced excimer emission: A versatile platform for the design of fluorogenic probes

We report that the electrostatic association between a cyanovinylene (CV)-based cationic dye (CV–N+) and anionic surfactants rapidly induced the formation of self-assembled aggregates of CV-N+ molecules in an aqueous solution, displaying a red-shifted (Δλ = 100 nm), broad excimer emission at 650 nm. The anionic-surfactant-mediated excimer-forming properties of CV-N+ were further exploited as a versatile platform for the design of simple fluorescent “light-up” sensing systems for the specific and efficient detection of enzymatic activity (i.e., phospholipase D) and small molecules (i.e., bisulfite ions), respectively, without the complicated functionalization of fluorophores with suitable recognition groups. In these systems, which can be ensembled using various substrates, the cationic CV-N+ dye interacts with an anionic surfactant, which is the product of an analyte-induced specific reaction, thus triggering the formation of emissive aggregates.