Near-infrared (NIR-II) luminescence for the detection of cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine based on stable Nd-MOF

Abstract Near-infrared-emissive materials as novel materials have drawn much attention for their unique properties of deep tissue penetration, high spatial resolution and low light damage to biological tissues. Lanthanide MOFs (Ln-MOFs) with high stability and near-infrared emission located in the near-infrared-II window (1000–1700 nm) is urgently needed to be developed in recent years. To tackle this challenge, a near-infrared-emissive lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks (Nd-MOF-Y) [Nd(L-F4)1.5(L-N) (H2O)]n [L-F4 = 2,3,5,6-Tetrafluoroterephthlonic acid, L-N = 1.10-phenanthroline] based on mixed ligands strategy has been successfully prepared. The stability measurements show that Nd-MOF-Y possesses high water stability, chemical stability (pH = 3–11), thermal stability (below 80 °C) and mechanical stability (vacuum environment). Luminescence performance studies exhibit the near-infrared-II emission characteristics and Nd-MOF-Y can detect cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine in the near-infrared range with high sensitivity, selectivity, cyclicality and low detection limit. Taking advantages of the stability and NIR-II emission, Nd-MOF-Y can be suitable for the biomedical applications in future.