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).