Facile and recyclable dopamine sensing by a label-free terbium(III) metal-organic framework

Herein, we present a facile strategy for dopamine (DA) sensing by a water-stable MOF of {[Tb(Cmdcp)(H₂O)₃]₂(NO₃)₂·5H₂O}_n (1, H₃CmdcpBr = N-carboxymethyl-(3,5-dicarboxyl)pyridinium bromide). Without any post-modification, MOF 1 functions as an effective fluorescent sensor for the label-free detection of DA with the detection limit of 0.41 μM (S/N = 3). Under the optimum condition of 80 °C, pH 9 for 80 min in Tris-HCl with natural ambient oxygen, DA polymerizes to give polydopamine (pDA), which adheres to the surface of MOF 1 and quenched its green luminescence thoroughly. The sensing process is visible to naked eyes under 365 nm UV light irradiation due to the partial overlap of its excitation spectrum with the absorption spectrum of pDA. The sensing process is not interfered by coexisting of bio-related organic substances, such as glucose (Glu), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), homocysteine (Hcy), ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA), cysteine (Cys), glutathione (GSH), as well as the presence of metal ions, including Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Co²⁺. The sensing process is also adaptable in biological fluids of serum and urine with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 96.14% to 104.32%.