Stepwise Assembly of Turn-on Fluorescence Sensors in Multicomponent Metal-Organic Frameworks for in Vitro Cyanide Detection

Abstract

The controlled synthesis of multicomponent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) allows for the precise placement of multiple cooperative functional groups within a framework, leading to emergent synergistic effects. Herein, we demonstrate that turn-on fluorescence sensors can be assembled by combining a fluorophore and a recognition moiety within a complex cavity of a multicomponent MOF. An anthracene-based fluorescent linker and a hemicyanine-containing CN^- -responsive linker were sequentially installed into the lattice of PCN-700. The selective binding of CN^- to hemicyanine inhibited the energy transfer between the two moieties, resulting in a fluorescence turn-on effect. Taking advantage of the high tunability of the MOF platform, the ratio between anthracene and the hemicyanine moiety could be fine-tuned in order to maximize the sensitivity of the overall framework. The optimized MOF-sensor had a CN^- -detection limit of 0.05 μm, which is much lower than traditional CN^- fluorescent sensors (about 0.2 μm).