Red emitting fluorescence sensor based on Eu-tungstate complex for the detection of bilirubin in biological fluid

Bilirubin is an important biomarker indicative of human health metabolism, especially in jaundice disease. In this work, we develop an Eu (Europium)-tungstate complex-based turn-off luminescence detection method for bilirubin in human (urineand serum)samples. The Eu-tungstate complex was synthesized by a straightforward one-pot procedure at ambient temperature, utilizing Europium chloride and Sodium tungstate as the precursors. The Eu-tungstate complex exhibited a very strong red emission and demonstrated excellent stability. The fluorescence of the Eu-tungstate complex in aqueous mediacan be turned off regularly by the gradual addition of bilirubin with a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.27 μM and alimit of quantitative (LoQ) of 0.91 μM.Moreover, this sensing technology can be utilized to sense bilirubin in actual samples.