Monodisperse mesoporous silica nanosphere (MSN) modified with anthracene derivative, 2- (3-(triethoxysilyl) propylamino)-N-(9-anthryl methyl) acetamide (SGAAn) has been fabricated as a fluorescent sensor (SGAAn-MSN) for the detection of metal ions, which shows an exclusive selectivity to Cu2+. Compared with SGAAn, SGAAn-MSN presents a higher sensitivity to Cu2+. The loading amount of SGAAn in MSN has a great influence on the ...