Fabrication of a 2D metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheet colloidal system and investigation of its fluorescence response to pesticide molecules

Abstract

Pesticides, as a type of toxic chemicals widely used for a long time, not only pollute the environment but also affect people's health and cause serious harm to the human body, soil and environment. Therefore, it is very necessary to exploit a portable and environmentally friendly method to detect pesticides with high sensitivity. Herein, a new luminescent metal–organic framework ([Zn(TPYBDC)·H₂O]_n, TPYBDC²⁻ = 4′-(pyridin-4-yl)-[2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine]-4,4′′-dicarboxylate) with 2D coordination layers has been designed and assembled using 4'-(pyridin-4-yl)-[2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine]-4,4′′-dicarboxylic acid as the ligand. The as-synthesized Zn-LMOF was exfoliated to ultrathin 2D nanosheets (4–5 nm) to form a luminescence colloidal sensor by destroying the weak interaction between the coordination layers such as H-bonding between the matrix H₂O and the coordination carboxyl oxygen, and the π–π interactions among the interlayer conjugated aromatic rings. Investigation of its recognition and detection ability towards chemical pesticides shows that it can sensitively detect pesticides such as imidacloprid, nitenpyram and dinotefuran via fluorescence quenching effect with very low detection limit (LOD). Using imidacloprid as a typical case, a LOD value of 0.562 μM and recoveries for the simulated agricultural environmental samples in the range of 94–115% suggests that the as-fabricated 2D Zn-MOF nanosheet colloidal sensor (Zn-LMOF probe) is a most promising candidate for sensing chemical pesticides.