ABSTRACT
Metal-Organic frameworks (MOFs), a particular class of porous coordinate polymers, are self-assemblies of metal ions and organic ligand molecules. The porosity within the material is particularly unique, allowing many of its special biosensing applications. The fabrication process of MOFs is very flexible as we are free to select a diverse type of metal and organic ligands during its fabrication. By doing so, we can also modify or control its porosity-based structural properties which is a critical factor in MOF-based sensing mechanisms. Sensors the alkali metal detection are vital and seem important to address several biochemical and environmental problems. In this case, the precisely controlled porosity feature of the MOF appears to be useful, and several MOF-based electrochemical sensors for alkali metal ions are possible. In MOF design, the porosity can be controlled, producing precise and selective interaction with alkali metal ions and other target analytes. The MOFs have thus revealed fast mass transfer and remarkable selectivity trends in the detection of alkali metal ions as guest molecules. In the current chapter, we will discuss the importance of alkali metal ion detection, MOFs as ideal sensors for alkali metals, design strategies for alkali metal detection, recent progress, and successful examples in MOF-based alkali metal sensing. We will also discuss various fundamentals, such as selectivity/sensitivity, response time, detection limit, and so forth, relevant to MOF-based alkali metal sensors. Finally, the recent progress and future challenges in the current field will be addressed.
