An aggregation-induced phosphorescent emission-active iridium(III) complex for fluoride anion imaging in living cells

•A novel cationic iridium(III) complex fluoride anion probe (Ir-AF) which exhibits aggregation-induced phosphorescent emission (AIPE) has been designed and synthesized.•Owing to its working mechanism based on the synergistic effect including enhancement of photoinduced electron transfer process and attenuation of AIPE effect, Ir-AF has high sensitivity.•Ir-AF has been successfully applied to intracellular fluoride anion measurement via time-resolved photoluminescence imaging with high signal to noise ratio.