One novel aggregation induced emission (AIE) fluorescent probe for hydrazine (N₂H₄) (T) was synthesized. This is an optically controlled process. The probe is very stable before light, which is different from many probes with ester bonds that are easily hydrolyzed during storage. Only under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, T responded to N₂H₄ rapidly in aqueous solution along with the fluorescence change from yellow to blue. The detection limit is as low as 0.25 μM, and it works well at a wide pH range (3-10) in aqueous solutions. Bio-imaging of N₂H₄ in living cell demonstrated a favorable biocompatibility. Moreover, the optically controlled mechanism was exploited. The result indicated that the Schiff base structure of T would be twisted under UV light irradiation, which loosened the original aggregation state. Consequently, T became more accessible to N₂H₄. That is, aggregation state of T is inactive, only in the presence of UV light the reactivity could be activated. Interestingly, the torsion of this compound can be restored by visible light irradiation or heating. This is the first report about optically controlled AIE fluorescent probe.

合成了一种新型的肼（N ₂ H ₄）（T）聚集诱导发射（AIE）荧光探针。这是一个光学控制的过程。该探针在光照前非常稳定，这与许多带有酯键的探针不同，这些探针在储存过程中容易水解。仅在紫外线（UV）照射下，T在水溶液中对N ₂ H ₄迅速响应，并且荧光从黄色变为蓝色。检测限低至0.25μM，并且在水溶液的宽pH范围（3-10）内都能很好地工作。N ₂ H _4的生物成像在活细胞中显示出良好的生物相容性。此外，开发了光学控制机制。结果表明，T的席夫碱结构在紫外光照射下会发生扭曲，从而使原来的聚集态松散。因此，T变得更易于N ₂ H ₄接近。即，T的聚集状态是不活泼的，只有在存在紫外线的情况下才可以活化反应性。有趣的是，该化合物的扭转可以通过可见光照射或加热来恢复。这是有关光控AIE荧光探针的第一份报告。