Hierarchical mesoporous UiO-66-NH2(Ce) as a cascade-responsive platform for uric acid detection†
Abstract
The development of precise and responsive uric acid (UA) sensors holds significant potential for diagnosing diseases and reducing associated health risks. In this work, we present an in situ cluster pre-coordination strategy in the template-directed synthesis process to construct a mesoporous Ce-based MOF (HMUiO-66-NH2(Ce)) using BDC-NH2 as the ligands. This method effectively overcomes the issue of unwanted reactions between the oxidative Ce6 clusters and the reductive amino groups of ligands during self-assembly, enabling the integration of both oxidative and reductive sites in the material. The resulting HMUiO-66-NH2(Ce) features an open and unique mesoporous structure with mesopore sizes around 18 nm and enzyme-mimicking properties akin to peroxidase-like enzymes along its pore walls. This structure facilitates the immobilization of urate oxidase (UOx) within the mesopores, forming a cascade system for UA detection. As a result, the sensor exhibits wide detection range, high sensitivity, and superior anti-interference performance, which presents a promising solution for UA detection in medical diagnostics.