A Luminescent Lanthanide-Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework as a Highly Selective and Sensitive Chemical Sensor for Dopamine

Dopamine (DA), which is a neurotransmitter of the nervous system and helps cell deliver pulse signals in the human body, is detected by a luminescent Tb-functionalized metal-organic framework (1a) sensor. The fluorescence quenching of as-synthesized 1a in the presence of dopamine is owing to the energy competition effect of emission light as well as the interaction between 1a and DA. The sensor also displays outstanding performances, such as excellent sensitivity, fast response, good reusability, a wide linear detection range and lower detection limits. The sensor was also exhibited to be highly selective for DA in the presence of the main coexisting species. Significantly, the 1a sensor was able to detect DA in real human serum samples and DA portable test strips were also developed. Hence, the probe has promising potential to be a useful tool for point-of-care diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.