Eu3+-Doped Mixed-Ligand UiO-66-Type Metal–Organic Framework for Ratiometric Fluorescence Sensing Fluoride Ions with Ultralow Detection Limit

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as a highly promising platform for various sensing applications due to their tunable structures and functionalities. In the present work, a Eu3+-doped mixed-ligand MOF, namely, the Eu3+@UiO-66-IPA, exhibited excellent luminescent properties and high fluorescence stability in aqueous media, displaying dual-emission peaks under 395 and 615 nm excitation that were readily visible to the naked eye. Importantly, the presence of fluoride ions (F–) promoted the “antenna effect” between the ligand and the Eu3+ centers, which significantly enhanced the emission intensity of the Eu3+ characteristic peak. In addition, the addition of F– also inhibited the quenching effect of high-energy O–H bonds existing in the aqueous environment. Notably, Eu3+@UiO-66-IPA demonstrated exceptional selectivity for F– over a range of competing anions, with a remarkable limit of detection as low as 0.22 μM. The developed Eu3+-doped mixed-ligand MOF system offers a highly promising strategy for the simple and accurate sensing of F– in practical applications.