Ratiometric Luminescence Sensing of Perfluorooctanoic Acid with an Amino-Functionalized Lanthanide Metal–Organic Framework: An Integrated Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment

A comprehensive laboratory experiment has been designed for upper-division undergraduate students, encompassing the synthesis and characterization of a lanthanide metal–organic framework (Ln-MOF) and its ratiometric luminescent sensing of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a persistent environmental pollutant. The students synthesized an amino-functionalized europium-based MOF via solvothermal synthesis. They then employed powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and luminescence spectroscopy to characterize the framework’s structure and investigate the “antenna effect”. Subsequently, they quantitatively and selectively detected PFOA using ratiometric luminescence sensing. Finally, the sensing mechanism was clarified through zeta potential and FT-IR measurements. This experiment not only enables students to apply and integrate the basic concepts from inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and environmental chemistry but also provides them with a research-like experience, emphasizing instrumental operation training, collaborative data analysis, and the structure–property–application relationship of advanced functional materials.