Ultrasensitive Eu-Based MOF Luminescence Sensor for Clenbuterol Visible Recognition

Clenbuterol (CLB) as an illegal feed additive may cause a great security risk to food safety. However, convenient and efficient detection means for CLB in practical application remain a formidable challenge. Herein, a stable Eu-based organic framework {[H2N­(CH3)2]2[Eu2(ttca)2]·H2O}n (compound 1) (H4ttca = [1,1′:2′,1″-terphenyl]-4,4′,4″,5′-tetracarboxylic acid) has been harvested, exhibiting excellent chemical stability and thermal stability. Luminescence investigation reveals that compound 1 can sensitively and selectively detect CLB without being affected by different components from simulated serum and urine (limit detection: 22.7 nM). Furthermore, sensor 1 can also be applicable to CLB recognition in real swine feeds, presenting excellent anti-interference performance. The good cyclicity of compound 1 endows CLB determination with many advantages: low cost, high stability, and simplicity. Importantly, in view of the indication of the luminescence color (red to blue), test membranes were fabricated and employed for convenient and fast CLB detection, providing a valuable scheme for the visual monitoring of CLB in meat products. This work enriches rare earth metal compounds and luminescence sensor portfolios and breaks the concentration record (nM) for detecting CLB compared with reported complex materials, providing an effective monitoring platform for CLB visually.