Naphthalimide Derivative-Functionalized Metal–Organic Framework for Highly Sensitive and Selective Determination of Aldehyde by Space Confinement-Induced Sensitivity Enhancement Effect

Facile and sensitive determination of formaldehyde (FA) in indoor environments still remains challenging. Herein, a fluorescent probe, termed PHN@MOF, was synthesized by embedding the fluorescent molecule of N-propyl-4-hydrazine-naphthalimide (PHN) into a metal–organic framework (MOF) for sensitive and visual monitoring of FA. The hydrazine group of PHN acts as the specific reaction group with FA based on the condensation reaction. The host of MOF (UiO-66-NH2) offers the surrounding confinement space required for the reaction. Owing to the enrichment effect and molecular sieve selection of UiO-66-NH2 to FA, PHN@MOF, compared with free PHN, exhibits very high sensitivity and selectivity based on space confinement-induced sensitivity enhancement (SCISE). Moreover, the fluorescence of UiO-66-NH2 offers a reference signal for FA detection. Using this ratiometric fluorescent PHN@MOF probe, a colorimetric gel plate and test paper were developed and used to visually monitor FA in air.