Detecting phosphate using lysine-sensitized terbium coordination polymer nanoparticles as ratiometric luminescence probes.

Probes for detecting phosphate ions (Pi) are required for environmental monitoring and to protect human health. Here, novel ratiometric luminescent lanthanide coordination polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) were successfully prepared and used to selectively and sensitively detect Pi. The nanoparticles were prepared from adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and Tb, and lysine (Lys) was used as a sensitizer (through the antenna effect) to switch on Tb luminescence at 488 and 544 nm while Lys luminescence at 375 nm was quenched because of energy transfer from Lys to Tb. The complex involved is here labeled AMP-Tb/Lys. Pi destroyed the AMP-Tb/Lys CPNs and therefore decreased the AMP-Tb/Lys luminescence intensity at 544 nm and increased the luminescence intensity at 375 nm at an excitation wavelength of 290 nm, meaning ratiometric luminescence detection was possible. The ratio between the luminescence intensities at 544 and 375 nm (I/I) was strongly associated with the Pi concentration between 0.1 and 6.0 μM, and the detection limit was 0.08 μM. The dual-emission reverse-change ratio luminescence sensing method can exclude environmental effects, so the proposed assay was found to be very selective. The method was successfully used to detect Pi in real water samples, and acceptable recoveries were found, suggesting that the method could be used in practice to detect Pi in water samples.