Eu³⁺-Doped Anionic Zinc-Based Organic Framework Ratio Fluorescence Sensing Platform: Supersensitive Visual Identification of Prescription Drugs

Advanced techniques for both environmental and biological prescription drug monitoring are of ongoing interest. In this work, a fluorescent sensor based on an Eu³⁺-doped anionic zinc-based metal-organic framework (Eu³⁺@Zn-MOF) was constructed for rapid visual analysis of the prescription drug molecule demecycline (DEM), achieving both high sensitivity and selectivity. The ligand 2-amino-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid (bpdc-NH₂) not only provides stable cyan fluorescence (467 nm) for the framework through intramolecular charge transfer of bpdc-NH₂ infinitesimal disturbanced by Zn²⁺ but also chelates Eu³⁺, resulting in red (617 nm) fluorescence. Through the synergy of photoinduced electron transfer and the antenna effect, a bidirectional response to DEM is achieved, enabling concentration quantification. The Eu³⁺@Zn-MOF platform exhibits a wide linear range (0.25-2.5 μM) to DEM and a detection limit (LOD) of 10.9 nM. Further, we integrated the DEM sensing platform into a paper-based system and utilized a smartphone for the visual detection of DEM in water samples and milk products, demonstrating the potential for large-scale, low-cost utilization of the technology.