Based on the indicator displacement assay (IDA) approach, we herein report the fluorescence “switch-on” sensing and quantitative detection of bisphosphonates (BPs), a class of drugs extensively used in the treatment of patients with various skeletal diseases. Guanidinium-modified calix[5]arene (GC5A) affords strong binding on the micromolar to nanomolar level towards BPs dominantly via multiple salt bridge interactions, which was evaluated by fluorescence competitive titrations. Fluorescent IDA enables the highly sensitive and label-free detection of BPs in buffer solution, and more importantly, in artificial urine. Calibration lines were therefore set up in untreated artificial urine, allowing for quantifying the concentrations of BPs in the biologically relevant low range.

We present a supramolecular sensor array based on a series of heteromultivalent macrocyclic coassemblies using amphiphilic calixarenes and cyclodextrin as the building blocks for cell recognition. The corresponding cross-reactivity between...

A new caesium sodium samarium borate phosphate, CsNa2Sm2(BO3)(PO4)2, has been obtained successfully by the high-temperature solution growth (HTSG) method and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that it crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm. The structure contains BO3, PO4, NaO7 and SmO7 polyhedra which are interconnected via corner- or edge-sharing O atoms to form a three-dimensional [Na2Sm2(BO3)(PO4)2]∞ network. This network delimits large cavities where large Cs+ cations reside to form the total structure. Under 402 nm light excitation, CsNa2Sm2(BO3)(PO4)2 exhibits three emission bands due to the 4f→4f transitions of Sm3+. Furthermore, we introduced Gd3+ into Sm3+ sites to optimize the Sm3+ concentration and improve the luminescence intensity. The optimal concentration is Gd/Sm = 98/2. The luminescent lifetime of a series of CsNa2Gd2(1–x)Sm2x (BO3)(PO4)2 phosphors shows a gradual degradation of lifetime from 2.196 to 0.872 ms for x = 0.01–0.10. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) 1931 calculation reveals that CsNa2Gd1.96Sm0.04(BO3)(PO4)2 can emit orange light under 402 nm excitation.

A new stibium phosphate, lithium barium bis(antimony oxide) tris(phosphate), LiBa(SbO)2(PO4)3, was prepared by the molten salt method with LiF as the flux. The crystal structure consists of an original three‐dimensional anionic framework of [(SbO)2(PO4)3]∞ built from PO4 tetrahedra sharing their corners with SbO6 octahedra. This framework delimits one‐dimensional tunnels where the lithium(I) and barium(II) ions are located. The UV–Vis spectrum shows that LiBa(SbO)2(PO4)3 was transparent from 350 to 800 nm, and is thus suitable as a luminescent host matrix. We then used Tb3+ and Eu3+ activators to test its luminous performance and the purities of the prepared phosphors were studied by powder X‐ray diffraction analysis with Rietveld refinements. Photoluminescence (PL) studies reveal that the emission spectra of 1 mol% RE3+‐doped (RE = Tb and Eu) samples can be excited by 371 and 394 nm light, emitting green and orange–red light, respectively, for Tb3+ and Eu3+. The CIE coordinates were measured to be (0.295, 0.571) and (0.6027, 0.3967), and the luminescent lifetimes were calculated as 0.178 and 1.159 ms, respectively.