Ultraweak chemiluminescence enhanced on the surface of lanthanide metal–organic framework nanosheets synthesized by ultrasonic wave

Lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) were facilely synthesized by ultrasonic wave and exhibited large surfaces which were aiding for enhancing chemiluminescence (CL) of NaIO 4 -H 2 O 2 system. • Lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) were synthesized by ultrasonic method. • The synthesized Ln-MOFs exhibited nanosheet-like morphology with large surfaces. • Ln-MOFs catalyzed and enhanced ultraweak chemiluminescence on their surfaces. In this paper, lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs, Ln = Ce, Gd, Ho) were facilely synthesized by ultrasonic method and applied in enhancing chemiluminescence (CL) emission of NaIO 4 -H 2 O 2 system. The synthesized Ln-MOFs were characterized to be nanosheet-like shapes. Comparing with the NaIO 4 -H 2 O 2 system without Ln-MOFs, the CL intensities of Ln-MOFs-NaIO 4 -H 2 O 2 systems were enhanced 28, 32 and 67 times by Ce-MOFs, Gd-MOFs and Ho-MOFs, respectively. Catalytic properties of Ln-MOFs accounted for the improved performance in CL and increased the generation of some reactive oxygen species (ROS) (·O 2 − , 1 O 2 and ·OH) which induced CL enhancement. The large surface area of nanosheets and structural defects generated during the ultrasonic synthesis process could facilitate the exposure of catalytic active sites and ROS generation. This work gave insights into developing novel CL systems based on advanced materials with effective surfaces.