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.