A 3D Spherical Sphenocorona Strontium-Based Coordination Polymer for Simultaneous Nicosulfuron Herbicide Detection and Methyl Orange Degradation

Engineering a multifunctional material that simultaneously senses and degrades pollutants is highly desirable, but it remains a challenging task. A strontium-based coordination polymer (CP), [Sr2(btc)(H2O)]n (AR-3), was synthesized and characterized by SEM, HRTEM, XPS, PXRD, TGA, FTIR, and UV–Vis spectroscopy, confirming its crystallinity, stability, and optical properties. Owing to its multiple coordination sites and π-conjugated btc linkers, AR-3 exhibited excellent selectivity toward the herbicide Nicosulfuron (95.41% quenching efficiency), driven by electron-transfer and resonance energy transfer, while maintaining structural integrity. Furthermore, its band gap (3.13 eV) enabled strong photocatalytic performance, achieving 89.77% degradation of methyl orange under visible sunlight, with O2•– and •OH identified as the main reactive species. The combination of selective sensing and efficient photocatalysis highlights AR-3 as a stable, recyclable, and multifunctional CP for environmental monitoring and remediation.