SERS‐Active MIL‐100(Fe) Sensory Array for Ultrasensitive and Multiplex Detection of VOCs

TLDR

Metal‑organic frameworks remain largely unexplored as SERS‑active platforms for multiplex VOC detection. The study demonstrates MIL‑100(Fe) as an ideal SERS substrate for VOC detection. MIL‑100(Fe) offers a modifiable sensor‑array property that enables multiplex VOC detection through doping with foreign metals. Using MIL‑100(Fe) as a SERS substrate, the authors achieved a toluene LOD of 2.5 ppm, reduced to 0.48 ppb with Au‑nanoparticle hot spots (enhancement factor 10¹⁰), and simultaneously detected lung‑cancer–related gaseous biomarkers at ppm levels, underscoring its potential for early in‑vivo diagnosis.

Abstract

Abstract The application of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as SERS‐active platforms in multiplex volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detection is still unexplored. Herein, we demonstrate that MIL‐100 (Fe) serves as an ideal SERS substrate for the detection of VOCs. The limit of detection (LOD) of MIL‐100(Fe) for toluene sensing can reach 2.5 ppm, and can be even further decreased to 0.48 ppb level when “hot spots” in between Au nanoparticles are employed onto MIL‐100 (Fe) substrate, resulting in an enhancement factor of 10 10 . Additionally, we show that MIL‐100(Fe) substrate has a unique “sensor array” property allowing multiplex VOCs detection, with great modifiability and expandability by doping with foreign metal elements. Finally, the MIL‐100(Fe) platform is utilized to simultaneously detect the different gaseous indicators of lung cancer with a ppm detection limit, demonstrating its high potential for early diagnosis of lung cancer in vivo.