A lanthanide metal-organic framework for highly selective and sensitive fluorescence detection of ciprofloxacin

The exploration of an efficient and sensitive method for the detection of ciprofloxacin (CIP) is important for the protection of human health and the ecological environment. In this study, a water-stable lanthanide metal-organic framework ratiometric fluorescence sensor (Dy-MOF) was prepared for the detection of ciprofloxacin. This versatile Dy-MOF can easily distinguish various antibiotics and displays a self-calibrated fluorescence response to ciprofloxacin (CIP). Under the ratiometric two-dimensional decoding map, a unique combination is formed using the ratio of the emission peak of the ligand to the occurrence peak of Dy3+, which makes it possible to distinguish the various antibiotics. The sensor exhibited good selectivity, sensitivity and recoverability for CIP with a detection limit of 0.27 µM. In addition, the fluorescent sensor was used to detect CIP in pure milk samples with a recovery of (97.5–107.5 %). In order to investigate the sensing mechanism of CIP, we discussed the energy transfer process between Dy-MOF and CIP in detail. This work provides a promising strategy for the development of simple and effective ratio sensors.