Selective detection and controlled release of Aspirin over fluorescent amino-functionalized metal–organic framework in aqueous solution

Aspirin, as a traditional anti-inflammatory drug, also leads to some side-effect due to inapposite dose. Simple and sensitive sensors capable of detecting Aspirin would have a significant relevance for human bodies. In this work, a highly selective and sensitive fluorescence probe for detecting Aspirin has been developed based on luminescent Zr-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with accessible channels and functional sites (free amino group). The MOFs show excellent luminescence and good fluorescence stability in aqueous environment. In the presence of Aspirin, the fluorescence would enhance dramatically (∼20.77 times as much as that of without Aspirin) due to the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between free-NH2 in MOFs and Aspirin. The proposed detecting system shows a low detection limit (0.02 μM) and a broad liner range (0.02–200 μM) for Aspirin detection. Most importantly, it also expresses good capacity for controlled release of Aspirin in PBS buffer solution (pH 7.4), which has a higher loading content (46%) than some Aspirin loading system. Considering its simple, cost-effective, environmental-friendly as well as combining detection and controlled release, we expect the system will have great potential for biological analysis.