A facile synthesized Eu-based metal–organic frameworks sensor for highly selective detection of volatile organic compounds

Hierarchically uniform three-dimensional europium-based metal–organic frameworks (Eu-MOFs) have been successfully fabricated via a facile and mild liquid precipitation method at room temperature. The morphology, structure, and composition of samples are well characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analyses, respectively. These well-arranged Eu-MOFs architectures show red emission corresponding to the ⁵D₀/⁷F₂ transition of the Eu³⁺ ions under UV light excitation. Remarkably, these Eu-MOFs samples exhibit clear “turn-off” quenching response for styrene vapors with high selectivity and reusability. This Eu-MOFs fluorescent sensor realizes fast recognition for styrene with a response time of less than 1 min at room temperature. Moreover, good detection reproductivity could also be achieved in this sensor. Considering the easy preparation, high selectivity and excellent repeatability, the sensor system provides a convenient and reliable detection of volatile organic compound in everyday applications.