L-histidine functionalized ZiF-8 with aggregation-induced emission for detection of tetracycline

In this study, we constructed zinc based metal–organic framework functionalized by L-histidine (His@ZiF-8). The His@ZiF-8 had high porosity, large surface area, abundant carboxyl and amino group, which has been found to greatly enhance the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) of tetracycline (TC). After the His@ZiF-8 enrichment with TC, the TC exhibited strong fluorescence emission peak at 565 nm based on AIE. Under the optimal conditions, the fluorescence intensity of TC exhibited a good linear relationship with TC concentration within 0.1–80 μM with a low limit of detection of 28.6 nM. Antibiotic analogs such as neomycin, chloramphenico, ampicillin, kanamycin, and erythromycin have no obvious interference. In addition, the developed method was successfully used to the detection of TC in milk, river water, and honey.