Effective detection of chromate anions in aqueous solution is highly desirable because of their high solubility, environmental mobility, carcinogenicity, and bioaccumulation effect. A new strategy for precise detection of chromate anions in the presence of a large excess of other anions, such as Cl-, NO3-, and HCO3-, in drinking water and natural water systems remains a challenge. Herein, a hydrolytically stable cationic luminescent europium(III)-based metal organic framework (MOF), 1, was successfully synthesized and investigated as a luminescent sensor that exhibits instant and selective luminescence quenching properties toward chromate ions in aqueous solutions. Moreover, 1 can be introduced into high-ionic-strength water system (e.g., seawater) for chromate detection as a consequence of the excellent sensing selectivity. The real environmental application of 1 as a chromate probe is studied in deionized water, lake water, and seawater. The detection limits in these aqueous media are calculated to be 0.56, 2.88, and 1.75 ppb, respectively. All of these values are far below the maximum contamination standard of Cr(VI) in drinking water of 100 ppb, defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This excellent chromate sensing capability originates from the fast enrichment of chromate ions in solids of 1 from solutions, followed by efficient energy transfer from the MOF skeleton to the chromate anion, as demonstrated by solution absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and chromate uptake kinetics and isotherm investigations. To the best of our knowledge, 1 possesses the lowest chromate detection limit among all reported MOFs up to date and is the only MOF material reported for chromate sensing application under environmentally relevant conditions with high ionic strengths.
Keywords: cationic metal organic framework; chromate; detection; luminescence; natural water system.