Ce-MOFs Fluorescent Probes with Different Ligands for Phosphate Detection

Phosphate plays a critical role in maintaining homeostasis and engaging in cellular metabolism and energy transduction within the human body. Dysregulation of phosphate concentration can lead to various disorders. However, current detection methods face significant challenges, including low sensitivity, narrow linear ranges, and extended response times. To address these issues, we employ a ligand-regulation strategy and adopt a bottom-up approach to synthesize a series of Ce-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with different substituents (–NO₂, –OH, –NH₂). These materials demonstrate outstanding performance in phosphate ion detection using the fluorescence analytical method. Notably, they exhibit a broad linear range (0–250 μmol/L), low detection limit (1.8 × 10^–9 mol/L), and rapid response time (4 min). Furthermore, hydroxyl and amino-functionalized Ce-MOFs exhibit successful application in intracellular fluorescence imaging. This capability is significant for detecting phosphate in biological systems and holds promise for contributing to diagnosing and treating diseases.