<p>In this study, a novel imidazole-Schiff base fluorescent probe, EBI, was designed and synthesized. The molecular structure of EBI was systematically characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and HR-MS. This study found that this probe could exhibit highly sensitive and selective fluorescence responses to Al³⁺ in an EtOH/H₂O (1:1 v/v) mixed solvent. The optical properties of EBI were systematically investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that the binding of EBI with Al³⁺ could trigger a significant fluorescence enhancement effect, reaching a stable state within approximately 10&#xa0;min, and that the interference from other common metal ions could be ignored. To further clarify its mechanism of action, various methods, including the Job plot, Benesi-Hildebrand experiment, ¹H NMR titration, and DFT calculation, were employed to thoroughly investigate the coordination behavior of EBI with Al³⁺. The study demonstrated that EBI and Al³⁺ formed a complex in a 1:1 molar ratio, with a detection limit (LOD) of 74.75 nM. The fluorescence quenching of EBI–Al³⁺ by PO₄³⁻ was also evident in the selected anion range. These results, based on the fluorescence “OFF-ON” mechanism, enable us to construct various types of molecular logic gates. This sensing system is capable of on-site, trace-level, real-time, and rapid detection of Al³⁺.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>