Disaggregation of a sumanene-containing fluorescent probe towards highly sensitive and specific detection of caesium cations.

A sumanene derivative functionalized with triphenylbenzene units was found to exhibit aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE). A disaggregation process after the addition of caesium cations (Cs+) was observed. This feature was employed for the design of the first sumanene-containing disaggregation-based fluorescent probe for specific, efficient and fast Cs+ recognition.