Luminescent Lanthanide Metal Organic Frameworks (LnMOFs): A Versatile Platform towards Organomolecule Sensing

• The importance of organomolecule sensing by LnMOFs are discussed. • Nearly three hundred examples have been summarized for visualization at a glance. • Mechanisms of organomolecule sensing by LnMOFs are highlighted. • An in-depth critical discussion and future prospects are discussed. • Instructive for further exploration of LnMOFs as organomolecule sensors while addressing the key challenges for plausible commercialization. The global population growth along with rapid urbanization caused intensification of anthropogenic processes. Selective detection of organomolecules (toxic, explosive, and pharmaceutical) has become significantly important for sustainable growth. There are few traditional detection methods available based on liquid chromatography and electrochemistry, but these are comparatively costly, time-consuming, and require complicated sample preparation methods and instrumentations. In this regard, the spectrofluorometric sensing method is simple, fast, and convenient for detecting organomolecules. Lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (LnMOFs) offer remarkable promise for sensing organomolecules with high accuracy because of their easy tunability, functionality, and design ability. Till date, close to three hundred LnMOFs have been designed and synthesized for potential applications in organomolecule sensing. Such reports are increasing swiftly, demanding an ordered grouping for visualization at a glance. This review showcases the development of LnMOFs toward organomolecule detection and perspectives concerning challenges and future prospects.