| Abstract Scope |
Rare earth elements (REEs) are critically important to numerous advanced technologies. Yet factors including monopolistic conditions, expensive separation of co-mined REE ores, and environmental concerns have destabilized the global supply of REEs. Consequently, significant effort has been devoted to increasing REE domestic production, including the extraction of REEs from coal and associated waste streams such as acid mine drainage. Analytical techniques for quantification of REE content in aqueous phases can facilitate REE recovery through rapid identification of high-value waste streams. Here, the porous metal-organic framework BioMOF-100 is evaluated as a fluorescence-based sensor for emissive lanthanides in water, providing rapid (<10 minute) analysis times and sensitive detection (part-per-billion levels) for terbium, dysprosium, samarium, europium, ytterbium, and neodymium in aqueous conditions or following REE extraction into organic solvents. Sensing is also demonstrated using a low-cost, portable, optical fiber-based spectrometer to highlight the potential of the BioMOF-100 sensor for field use. |