A new highly selective fluorescent probe, (E)-4-(4-([2,2Ј:6Ј,2ЈЈ-terpyridin]-4Ј-yl)styryl)-1-octadecylpyridin-1-ium bromide (ZC-F8), was designed and synthesized for cadmium detection and cell imaging. The fluorescence spectra of ZC-F8 exhibited its excellent response towards Cd 2+ via intramolecular charge transfer effect and * Dr. W. Lin