Design and function of metal-ion probes based on photosignal transduction (Review)

The recent developments of metal-ion probes based on photosignal transducti on are reviewed in relation to their molecular design and response function . The metal-ion probes are classified into two types according to their des ign concepts: one is "molecular built-up" probes, in which ion recognition is performed by a single molecular receptor function; the other is "molecul ar assembled" probes, which are based on a supramolecular interaction deriv ed from plural receptor molecules. For these probes, the principal mechanis ms of photosignal transduction upon metal-ion recognition are summarized an d their applications to metal ion sensing are discussed.