Tb-containing metal-organic gel with high stability for visual sensing of nitrite

A Tb-containing metal-organic gel (Tb-MOG) with excellent photoluminescence properties was synthesized via simple mixing of Tb3+ as the central metal ions and 4-[2, 2 ': 6 '', 2 ''-terpyridine]-4'-ylbenzoic acid (Hcptpy) as the ligands under a mild condition. The Tb-MOG exhibits mechano reversibility, thermal stability, acid and alkali tolerance. Moreover, the MOG shows a specific sensing to nitrite based on energy transfer. Test papers containing Tb-MOG were prepared and successfully realised the selective visual recognition of nitrite, which makes the MOG as a sensor more adaptive to practical application. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.