Lanthanide organic/inorganic hybrid systems: Efficient sensors for fluorescence detection

Fluorescence sensing is a simple, intuitive, and convenient detection method, but it also has disadvantages, such as poor photothermal stability and detection state limitations. Lanthanide organic/inorganic hybrid materials (LHMs) possess exceptional structural stability and tunability and are important candidates for chemosensory materials. LHMs contain versatile chemical reaction building blocks (linkers or ligands), and the different inorganic matrices that can be used provide an opportunity to develop and extend their unique properties.In this review, recent research progress on the use of LHMs for chemical sensing is described. We summarize four general strategies for LHMs synthesis. Moreover, by utilizing these strategies, we prepared an LHMs fluorescent probe that was used to realize the chemical sensing of different types of cations (Fe3+ and Cu2+), molecules (dipicolinic acid (DPA), glutathione, water and ascorbic acid (AA)), and pollutants (organic solvents and amines), as well as pH and temperature sensing. Additionally, the detection status of LHMs can be changed according to the characteristics of the inorganic matrix, such as whether a film or gel is used for detection, thereby overcoming the limitations related to the general detection state.