Three novel metal-organic frameworks with different coordination modes for trace detection of anthrax biomarkers

Dipicolinate acid (DPA) is an anthrax biomarker. It's serious consequences make it's detection in great need. In this paper, three novel metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with different coordination modes were synthesized by a simple solvothermal method, which can be used as highly efficient fluorescence sensors for the highly selective and sensitive trace detection of DPA. MOFs 1-3 showed rapid responses to DPA (< 30s), and the limit of detections (LODs) were figured as 1.01×10-6 M-1 (MOF 1), 1.17×10-6 M-1 (MOF 2) and 2.07×10-6 M-1 (MOF 3). DPA detection based on MOFs 1-3 in fetal bovine serum is highly reliable based on high recovery rates (90 % to 115 %). Hence, the three MOF-based sensors can be used in the real-time detection of DPA.