Triphenylamine-Functionalized Coordination Cage as a Supramolecular Fluorescence Sensor for Sequential Detection of Aluminum Ions and Nitrofurantoin

Coordination cages with a well-defined nanocavity are a class of promising supramolecular materials for molecular recognition and sensing. However, their applications in sequential sensing of multiple types of pollutants are highly desirable yet extremely limiting and challenging. Herein, we demonstrate a convenient strategy to develop a supramolecular fluorescence sensor for sequentially detecting environmental pollutants of aluminum ions and nitrofurantoin. A coordination cage (Ni-NTB), adopting an octahedral structure with triphenylamine chromophores occupying on the faces, is weakly emissive in solution due to the intramolecular rotations of the phenyl rings. Ni-NTB exhibits sensitive and selective fluorescence “off–on–off” processes during consecutive sensing of Al3+ and nitrofurantoin, an antibacterial drug. These sequential detection processes are highly interference-tolerant and visually observable with the naked eye. Mechanism studies reveal that the fluorescence switch is controllable by tuning the degree of intramolecular rotations of the phenyl rings and the pathway of intermolecular charge transfer, which is associated with the host–guest interaction. Moreover, the fabrication of Ni-NTB on test strips enabled a quick naked-eye sequential sensing of Al3+ and nitrofurantoin in seconds. Hence, this novel supramolecular fluorescence “off–on–off” sensing platform provides a new approach to developing supramolecular functional materials for monitoring environmental pollution.