A mixed Ce/Eu metal-organic framework for ratiometric detection of Al³⁺ ion

As a heavy metal ion, excessive aluminum ions pose a serious threat to human health and the ecological environment. Developing a simple, efficient, and fast detection method to detect the content of aluminum ions is of great significance, especially for ensuring human health and ecological safety. Herein, the mixed rare earth metal-organic framework (Ce_0.74Eu_0.26TPTC and Ce_0.62Eu_0.38TPTC) were prepared based on simple ligand 1,1':4',1″-Terphenyl-2',4,4″,5'-tetracarboxylic acid (H₄TPTC). The Ce_0.74Eu_0.26TPTC and Ce_0.62Eu_0.38TPTC have dual luminescence centers, which can be used as ratio fluorescent probes to detect Al³⁺ ions, making the detection results more accurate and reliable. Therefore, this work can promote the further development of rare earth-based MOFs in the detection of heavy metal ions.