An aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE)-active fluorescent sensor based on a tetraphenylethene (TPE) unit has been successfully designed and synthesized. Interestingly, the luminogen could detect Hg2+ with high selectivity in an acetonitrile solution without interference from other competitive metal ions, and the detection limit was 7.46 × 10−6 mol L−1. Furthermore, the luminogen also showed interesting solvatochromic behavior and superior cell imaging performance.
