Single-Phase Multicenter Luminescent Lanthanide-Organic Frameworks for Ratiometric Detection of Nitrofurantoin

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Nitrofurantoin (NFT) accumulation in the food chain poses a human health risk.
• Real-time and rapid detection methods for NFT are crucial for food safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive and rapid detection method for nitrofurantoin (NFT).
• To synthesize and characterize a novel luminescent lanthanide-organic framework for sensing applications.

Main Methods:

• Solvothermal synthesis of a lanthanide-organic framework (HBNU-22-Tb) using mixed ligands.
• Crystallographic analysis to determine the framework structure and channel dimensions.
• Ratiometric luminescence spectroscopy for NFT detection and sensitivity assessment.

Main Results:

• The synthesized HBNU-22-Tb framework possesses a 1D channel suitable for NFT entry.
• Demonstrated convenient ratiometric luminescent detection of NFT with ultrahigh sensitivity (1.42 × 10^6 M^-1).
• Isomorphic frameworks (HBNU-22-Gd, HBNU-22-Tb0.87Eu0.13) were synthesized to investigate luminescence mechanisms.

Conclusions:

• HBNU-22-Tb is a highly sensitive luminescent sensor for nitrofurantoin.
• The sensing mechanism involves photoinduced electron transfer and competitive absorption.
• This framework offers a promising platform for real-time monitoring of antibiotics in food products.