A “turn-on” approach for rapid detection of tetracycline based on supramolecular aggregates of water soluble perylene diimide

A rapid and selective fluorescent sensor for tetracycline was developed based on supramolecular aggregates of PDI. [Display omitted] •A novel and effective PDI-based aggregated probe with Eu3+ was established.•Excellent sensing performance with good sensitivity and wide linear range was achieved (LOD of 12.11 nM).•The detection method could be applied in various real food samples such as chicken fish and pork with good recovery (84.14% to 110.89%).•Obvious visualization changes make the method potentially applicable to on-site detection. Antibiotic residue in animal foods has aroused great attention. Herein, we report a “turn-on” approach via supramolecular aggregates of water soluble perylene diimide (PDI) for rapid detection of tetracycline (TC), which is very important to food quality and safety. The disassembly of PDI aggregate was promoted owing to the coordination of Eu3+ and TC, leading to a significant recovery of fluorescence intensity. The sensing mechanism and performance of this approach were studied by absorption and emission spectra. The limit of detection (LOD) and the operation range were 12.11 nM and 0.1–30 μM, respectively. This method features simple acquisition, free of organic solvents, rapid detection, high selectivity and sensitivity, ease of observation and operation. It could be applied to detecting TC in Chicken, Fish and Pork with good recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TC based on PDI probe in aqueous media.