Polyphenylene sulfide paper-based sensor modified by Eu-MOF for efficient detection of Fe3+

Abstract

The growth of metal organic framework (MOF) nanocrystal material onto the flexible non-woven fabric is an advanced strategy to expand its practical applications. In this study, a novel polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) paper-based sensor (Eu-MOF@ALD-PPS) was designed and successfully fabricated for efficient sensing of Fe3+. The PPS non-woven fabric was first modified by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology, and then the Eu-MOF nanocrystals can formally grow on it via hydrothermal approaches. It exhibited excellent solvent resistant (water, methanol, ethanol, DMF and acetone) and thermal stability (120 °C). In addition, the obtained Eu-MOF@ALD-PPS showed high selectivity and sensitivity in response to Fe3+ among many metal ions (Na+, K+, Zn2+, Ni+, Mg2+, Ag+, Ba2+, Ga2+, Cu2+, Gd2+, Co2+ and Fe3+). The sensing mechanism investigation revealed that the weak interactions of Fe3+ with oxygen atoms of hydroxyl and carboxylic acids protruding into the pores of MOFs quenched the luminescence of PPS paper-based sensor effectively. This study provides a promising method to fabricate flexible sensor for detection of Fe3+.