A general and versatile molecular design for host molecules working in water:a duplex-based potassium sensor consisting of three functional regions

摘要

A general and versatile molecular design for host molecules was proposed based on the structural motif of antibodies. A water-soluble potassium sensor was developed by this molecular design,which consists of three functional regions,benzo-15-crown-5 ether,DNA,and pyrene as guest-binding,dimerising,and signaling sites,respectively. The molecular sensor emitted the monomer fluorescence of the pyrene fluorophore predominantly when existing as a random structure,while it formed a duplex upon recognition of K~+ to bring about monomer-excimer emission switching.