Luminescent sensing materials are attractive for environmental analysis due to their potential for high selectivity, excellent sensitivity and rapid (even instantaneous) response towards targeted analytes in diverse sample matrices. Many types of analytes have been detected in samples of wastewater for environmental protection, reagents and products in industrial production of drugs and pesticides, and biological markers in blood and urine for early diagnosis. It is still challenging, however, to develop appropriate materials with optimal sensing function for a targeted analyte. Here we synthesize metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) bearing multiple luminescent centers, such as metal cations (for example, Eu3+ and Tb3+), organic ligands and guests, which are chosen for optimal selectivity for the analytes of interest, including industrial synthetic intermediates and chiral drugs. Interaction between the metal node, ligand, guest and analyte results in a complex system with different luminescence properties compared with the porous MOF on its own. The operation time for the synthesis is usually less than 4 h; the quick screening for sensitivity and selectivity takes ~0.5 h and includes steps to optimize the energy levels and spectrum parameters. It can be used to accelerate the discovery of advanced sensing materials for practical applications.
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