A nanocontainer that releases a fluorescence sensor for cadmium ions in water and its biological applications

A single-molecule functionalized nanocontainer'' NC-FQDIPA can release a fluorescence sensor to recognize cadmium ions in water with a relatively strong fluorescence intensity and improved selectivity. This device demonstrates sensitive detection of Cd(2+) on the membrane of HeLa cells, which indicates the potential applications of this detection method in biological systems.