A Zr(IV) Metal–Organic Framework for Fluorometric Detection of Pesticide Imidacloprid and Anticonvulsant Drug Carbamazepine in Environmental Water and Biological Fluids

In today’s world, food security and safety are growing concerns. Various insecticides, medications, and fertilizer additives are used to harvest foodstuffs. Some of these are extremely harmful to both humans and the environment. Consequently, it is essential to know their existence in food and environmental water and measure their concentrations. A furan-2-carboxamide functionalized, reusable, nanoscale, and sustainable Zr(IV) metal–organic framework (MOF) named 1 was developed here to address these kinds of problems. The porous framework (SBET = 609 m2 g–1) was synthesized, characterized, and then used for fast and selective fluorescence sensing of the imidacloprid pesticide and the widely used anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine in the aqueous medium through turn-off fluorescence responses, with a limit of detection values of 1.6 and 0.96 nM for imidacloprid and carbamazepine, respectively. It can detect them within a few seconds (5 s) of their addition. These detection limits are lower than those of any previously reported sensors for these analytes. The probe offers high reusability, selectivity, and a very short response time. Moreover, effective sensing of the analytes was achieved in body fluids (carbamazepine), different fruits and vegetables, soil samples (imidacloprid), environmental water, and across various pH levels. A systematic investigation, supported by proper instrumental techniques, was conducted to understand the mechanisms behind both sensing events. The inner filter effect (IFE) was found to be responsible for both imidacloprid and carbamazepine sensing.