Functional Nanofibres of Tb(III)‐Coupled Metal‐Organic Gel: Detection To Decontamination of Thiabendazole In Environmental Samples

Pollutant residues such as pharmaceuticals or pesticides in water bodies pose significant environmental and health risks, necessitating the development of advanced sensing and removal techniques to ensure safe and sustainable water resources. Tb-based luminescent sensors offer high sensitivity for pollutant residue analysis, but their application is often limited to detection. Developing Tb-derived metal-organic gel (ANS-4G-Tb) as soft supramolecular material is proposed to enhance trace contamination removal, integrating both sensing and sequestration capabilities. For the development of the self-assembled supramolecular material, ANS-4, a low molecular-mass organic gelator (LMOG) with a molecular weight of just about 215 g/mole, was selected, owing to its efficient single-step synthesis, and it was comprehensively characterized using single crystal XRD, and other routine spectroscopic techniques. Then, its nanosized ANS-4G-Tb metallogel was characterized using a comprehensive suite of analytical techniques to assess its structural, chemical, morphological, and optical characteristics. Upon interaction with parasiticide and fungicide thiabendazole (TBZ), a phase transformation from gel to sol is observed, enabling naked-eye detection and simultaneous turn-on photo-luminescence sensing (⁵D₄→⁷F₅ transition). Based on novel research, our study navigates through the photo-luminescence of lanthanide supramolecular complexes, transitioning from fundamental investigations to potential methodologies concerning analyte responsiveness and removal applications.