A novel photochromic diarylethene bifunctional chemosensor with a hydroxybenzylidene-2-naphthohydrazide group was synthesized with multicontrollable and photoswitchable properties, induced by UV–vis light, acid/base, and metal ions in acetonitrile. The deprotonated derivative of the compound showed good photochromism and notable fluorescence enhancement. It could serve as a “naked-eye” colorimetric sensor for Ni2+. Moreover, its fluorescence was enhanced by 75-fold, turning from dark to bright jade green, upon the addition of Al3+. The compound formed complexes with Ni2+ and Al3+ in a 1:1 stoichiometry and could detect these metal ions at concentrations as low as 1.67 × 10–5 and 9.45 × 10–8 mol L–1, respectively. Additionally, it can penetrate into HeLa cells and can be used for the detection of intracellular Al3+.

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