A Nitrogen-Rich Luminescent Zn(II) Coordination Polymer Based on a 2,4,6-Tris(di-2-pyridylamino)-1,3,5-triazine for Differential Fluorescent Sensing of Antibiotics in Aqueous Medium

The design of suitable chemosensors for environmental pollutants and toxins detection at trace levels remains a critical area of research. Among various chemosensors, Zn(II) coordination polymers have garnered special interest as fluorescent probes for environmental applications. In this article, we report the synthesis of a nitrogen-rich luminescent Zn(II) coordination polymer, TDPAT-Zn-CP, designed for differential fluorescent sensing of antibiotics in an aqueous medium. TDPAT-Zn-CP was synthesized using a star-shaped 2,4,6-tris(di-2-pyridylamino)-1,3,5-triazine (TDPAT) fluorophore, a promising blue-emitting compound. The morphological and structural properties of TDPAT-Zn-CP were thoroughly analyzed using conventional spectroscopic and analytical techniques. The fluorescence titration studies in aqueous medium demonstrated that TDPAT-Zn-CP exhibits remarkable selectivity, sensitivity, and differential fluorescence sensing responses towards various antibiotics. Among the antibiotics tested, TDPAT-Zn-CP displayed a significant fluorescence quenching and high selectivity for sulfamethazine (SMZ), with a Stern–Volmer quenching constant of K_SV = 1.68 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ and an impressive sensitivity of 4.95 ppb. These results highlight the potential of TDPAT-Zn-CP as a practically useful, highly effective polymeric sensor for the differential fluorescence-based detection of antibiotics in water, offering a promising approach for environmental monitoring and contamination control.