Selective and recyclable tandem sensing of PO43- and Al3+ by a water-stable terbium-based metal-organic framework

Herein, a luminescent water-stable terbium-based metal-organic framework(MOF) {[Tb(Cmdcp)(H2O)(3)](2)(NO3)(2)center dot 5H(2)O}(n) (1, H(3)CmdcpBr = N-carboxymethyl-(3,5-dicarboxyl)pyridinium bromide) has been synthesized and used for the recyclable sensing of PO43- and Al3+ in tandem. MOF 1 acts as a fluorescent sensor for PO43- by the luminescence "turn-off" mechanism with high selectivity over other anions, such as F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, NO3-, H2PO4-, HSO4-, HCO3-, HSO3-, SO42-, CO32- and HPO42-. The formed PO43-@1 complex further acts as the Al3+ sensor with the luminescence "turn-on" mechanism, also with high selectivity over diverse inorganic cations of Fe2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Hg2+, Na+, K+, Li+, Ag+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+. The detection process for both PO43- and Al3+ can be directly observed with naked eyes under the UV light at 365 nm. The detection limits for PO43- and Al3+ are 1.1 mu M and 6.6 mu M, respectively. Such a sensing cycle is further transferable to urine and serum samples with a satisfactory near-quantitative recovery, highlighting its good potential in biologically relevant applications. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.