A mixed Ce/Eu metal–organic framework for ratiometric detection of Al3+ ion

Abstract As a heavy metal ion, excessive aluminum ions pose a serious threat to human health and the ecological environment. Developing a simple, efficient, and fast detection method to detect the content of aluminum ions is of great significance, especially for ensuring human health and ecological safety. Herein, the mixed rare earth metal–organic framework (Ce 0.74 Eu 0.26 TPTC and Ce 0.62 Eu 0.38 TPTC) were prepared based on simple ligand 1,1′:4′,1″‐Terphenyl‐2′,4,4″,5′‐tetracarboxylic acid (H 4 TPTC). The Ce 0.74 Eu 0.26 TPTC and Ce 0.62 Eu 0.38 TPTC have dual luminescence centers, which can be used as ratio fluorescent probes to detect Al 3+ ions, making the detection results more accurate and reliable. Therefore, this work can promote the further development of rare earth‐based MOFs in the detection of heavy metal ions.