Polyvalent anion-induced J-aggregation and its use in ratiometric fluorescence tracking of hypotonic in Arabidopsis

J-aggregate dyes have been widely used in biomedicine, chemical engineering, etc., due to their structure and photophysical properties. J-aggregation theory describes the nearest-neighbor molecules' transition dipole moments in a sliding stacking arrangement. However, we found that the intervention of polyvalent anions can induce the J-aggregation of dyes via the intermolecular van der Waals and electrostatic interactions, which is an essential way once overlooked. Experimental results and theoretical calculations revealed that the more negatively charged or large size of anions within a specific range, the more efficiently the dye will form J-aggregates. As an application, the content of polyvalent anion salts in a salt-stressed Arabidopsis model was evaluated based on the ratiometric fluorescence emission resulting from the polyvalent anion-induced dye J-aggregation.