Ultrastable Tb-Organic Framework as a Selective Sensor of Phenylglyoxylic Acid in Urine

Industrial pollution and harmful chemicals seriously affect environment and human health. Styrene is a common air toxicant with widespread exposure sources, including smoking, automobile exhaust, and plastic pollutants. Phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA) is a typical biomarker for exposed styrene. Therefore, it is crucial to quickly identify and quantitatively detect PGA. Herein, an ultrastable terbium metal–organic framework (Tb-MOF 1) was developed, and the luminescence film (1/PLA) consisting of polylactic acid (PLA) and 1 was fabricated as a sensor for rapid detection of PGA. The sensor possesses the advantages of efficient detection [limit of detection (LOD) is 1.05 × 10–4 mg/mL] and rapid response speed (less than 10 s) for PGA in urine. Furthermore, this sensor exhibits high stability, outstanding anti-interference ability, and excellent recyclability. Based on this film technology, a paper-based probe was then developed for portable and convenient detection. The probe could easily distinguish different concentrations of PGA under the naked eye toward practical sensing applications. Meanwhile, photoinduced electron transfer was demonstrated to be responsible for the luminescence sensing. Hence, this study indicates that Tb-MOF is a promising material to detect PGA for evaluating the effect of styrene on the body.

工业污染与有害化学物质严重威胁环境与人类健康。苯乙烯（Styrene）是一类常见的空气有毒物质，其暴露来源广泛，涵盖吸烟、汽车尾气以及塑料污染物。苯乙酮酸（Phenylglyoxylic acid，PGA）是苯乙烯暴露的典型生物标志物，因此快速识别并定量检测PGA具有重要的现实意义。本研究开发了一种超稳定的铽基金属有机框架（terbium metal–organic framework，Tb-MOF 1），并制备了由聚乳酸（polylactic acid，PLA）与该框架复合而成的发光薄膜（1/PLA），将其作为传感器用于PGA的快速检测。该传感器应用于尿液中PGA的检测时，具备检测灵敏度高【检出限（limit of detection，LOD）为1.05 × 10–4 mg/mL】、响应速度快（小于10 s）的优势。此外，该传感器还表现出优异的稳定性、突出的抗干扰能力以及良好的可回收性。基于该薄膜技术，本研究进一步开发了一种纸基探针，可实现便捷的便携式检测。在实际传感应用场景中，该探针可通过裸眼直观区分不同浓度的PGA。同时，研究证实光诱导电子转移（photoinduced electron transfer）是该发光传感的核心作用机制。因此，本研究表明铽基金属有机框架是一种极具应用前景的PGA检测材料，可用于评估苯乙烯对人体健康的影响。