Two novel yellow-green emitting 1,8-naphthalimides, containing a 4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl moiety, were configured as "fluorophore-spacer-receptor" systems. The photophysical characteristics of the dyes were investigated in both DMF and water/DMF (4:1, v/v) solutions. The ability of the new compounds to detect cations was evaluated by means of the changes in their fluorescence intensity imparted by the presence of transition metal ions (Cu2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, Ni2+) and protons. The presence of metal ions and protons was found to disallow photoinduced electron transfer resulting in enhanced fluorescence intensity. The results clearly show that only Cu2+ ions and protons were effectively detected, indicating the potential of the novel compounds as highly efficient "off-on" switchers for CU2+ ions and protons. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.