Fabrication of a fluorescence sensor based on hydrogen-bonded organic framework for detecting methylglyoxal

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), a novel form of porous materials, have recently emerged as an ideal material for the construction of fluorescent sensors in recent years due to their mild preparation conditions, solution processability, and diverse structures. In this work, we synthesized a HOF material TCBP-HOF via hydrogen bonding self-assembly using 3, 3′, 5, 5′- tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) −1, 1′ - biphenyl (H4TCBP) as the raw material. The results showed that TCBP-HOF had good sensing performance for methylglyoxal (MGO), a 1, 2-dicarbonyl chemical widely distributed in thermally processed foods. Meanwhile, the fluorescence quenching mechanism of MGO on TCBP-HOF was mostly owing to the internal filtering effect (IFE) and photoinduced electron transfer (PET), which have been demonstrated through various methods. Finally, the sensor was used to detect MGO in genuine samples like milk and beer. This study is intended to broaden the application of HOF in fluorescence sensors.