N‐Alkyl Extension in Ionic Molecular Rotors: Facile Tuning of Sensing Modes for Albumin‐Based Host‐Guest Fluorescent Sensors

C Caiqiang Liao (State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Hainan Province School of Biomedical Engineering Hainan University Sanya Hainan P. R. China) X Xinfeng Du (State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea School of Marine Sciences Hainan University Haikou Hainan P. R. China) Z Zhang Lin (School of Metallurgy and Environment) Y Yuting Luo (Department of Oncology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University) Y Yangyang Yu Z Zhaohui Wang (Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry) J Jun Peng (State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry) Z Zhongyong Xu (College of Material Science and Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen Guangdong P. R. China) X Xianwen Liang (Department of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery Hainan General Hospital Haikou Hainan P. R. China) Z Zhilong Wu Y Ya‐Long Wang (State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Hainan Province School of Biomedical Engineering Hainan University Sanya Hainan P. R. China) T Tianyi Qin B Bin Liu M Ming‐Qiang Zhu (State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Hainan Province School of Biomedical Engineering Hainan University Sanya Hainan P. R. China)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Establishing a strategy for fine‐tuning of fluorescent sensing modes (e.g., off ↔ on, ratiometric, fluorocolorimetric) in human serum albumin (HSA)‐dye involved supramolecular systems that can tackle the bottleneck for the development of functional fluorescent sensors and sensor arrays in specific practical applications. Here, we propose a simple strategy by extending the N‐alkyl on the pyridinium of triphenylamine diarylethene (TPA‐Ps), a classic ionic molecular rotor skeleton for protein binding and fluorescent sensing, to fulfill the modulation of sensing modes of TPA‐P@HSA. The structural effects on two factors corresponding to sensing modes, the initial fluorescence (TPA‐Ps dispersions) and the final fluorescence (TPA‐P@HSA), have been comprehensively investigated. The utility of the strategy was examined in the applications of fluorescent analysis of urinary albumin, construction of dye@HSA indicator‐displacement assays for the third analytes, fluorescent imaging, and building sensor arrays for classification. Finally, we demonstrated that this strategy can be generalized to other TPA‐P skeleton‐based dyes, resulting in substantially tunable sensing modes in response to HSA.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 26
Published June 22, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (14)

C

Caiqiang Liao

State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Hainan Province School of Biomedical Engineering Hainan University Sanya Hainan P. R. China

X

Xinfeng Du

State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea School of Marine Sciences Hainan University Haikou Hainan P. R. China

Z

Zhang Lin

School of Metallurgy and Environment

Y

Yuting Luo

Department of Oncology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University

Y

Yangyang Yu

Z

Zhaohui Wang

Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering, Department of Chemistry

J

Jun Peng

State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Department of Chemistry

Z

Zhongyong Xu

College of Material Science and Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen Guangdong P. R. China

X

Xianwen Liang

Department of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery Hainan General Hospital Haikou Hainan P. R. China

Z

Zhilong Wu

Y

Ya‐Long Wang

State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Hainan Province School of Biomedical Engineering Hainan University Sanya Hainan P. R. China

T

Tianyi Qin

B

Bin Liu

M

Ming‐Qiang Zhu

State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Hainan Province School of Biomedical Engineering Hainan University Sanya Hainan P. R. China