A new luminescent metal-organic framework with 2,6-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)naphthalene and biphenyl-3,4′,5-tricarboxylic acid

In this work, a novel metal-organic framework (MOF) based on 2,6-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)naphthalene (L) and biphenyl-3,4′,5-tricarboxylic acid (H3bptc), namely [Co(L)(Hbptc)(H2O)] (1), has been prepared. 1 has a distinct infinite chain structure, further linked together by winding interactions to give the three-dimensional (3D) network structure. 1 was characterized by X-ray crystallography, infrared spectra (IR) spectroscopy, elemental and thermal analysis. Photoluminescence studies revealed that 1 shows a strong emission at 361 nm upon excitation at 290 nm at room temperature. Moreover, 1 can efficiently detect Fe3+ ions by luminescence quenching.

Coordination sphere hydrogen bonding as a structural element in metal-organic Frameworks

In the design of new metal-organic frameworks, the constant challenges of framework stability and structural predictability continue to influence ligand choice in favour of well-studied dicarboxylates and similar ligands. However, a small subset of known MOF ligands contains suitable functionality for coordination sphere hydrogen bonding which can provide new opportunities in ligand design. Such interactions may serve to support and rigidity the coordination geometry of mononuclear coordination spheres, as well as providing extra thermodynamic and kinetic stabilisation to meet the challenge of hydrolytic stability in these materials. In this perspective, a collection of pyrazole, amine, amide and carboxylic acid containing species are examined through the lens of (primarily) inner-sphere hydrogen bonding. The influence of these interactions is then related to the overall structure, stability and function of these materials, to provide starting points for harnessing these interactions in future materials design.

An ultra-sensitive selective fluorescent sensor based on a 3D zinc-tetracarboxylic framework for the detection and enrichment of trace Cu2+ in aqueous media

Herein, a novel and fluorescent zinc-organic framework sensor [Zn₃(μ₃-Hbptc)₂(μ₂-4,4'-bpy)₂(H₂O)₄]_n·2nH₂O (1) (H₄bptc = 2,3,3',4'-biphenyl tetracarboxylic acid, 4,4'-bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine) is synthesized and characterized, demonstrating its excellent fluorescence performance for Cu²⁺ detection and the enrichment of Cu²⁺ in aqueous media. The fluorescence intensity of 1 can be selectively quenched by Cu²⁺ in a linear range of Cu²⁺ concentrations of 0-0.7 μM. The limit of detection (LOD) value is as low as 32.4 nM, which is superior to those of most of the fluorescent sensors based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). It is also far below the maximum allowable concentration of Cu²⁺ in drinking water as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), so it is employed for the detection of Cu²⁺ in actual water samples. More importantly, the nature of the interaction between the active coordination site (COO^-) of 1 and Cu²⁺ determines the quenching mechanism, that is Cu²⁺ in the analyte is captured by MOF 1, which has been investigated by ICP, luminescence, UV-vis, XPS, and lifetime studies. Besides, the chemosensor shows regeneration performance without the loss of performance in five consecutive cycles. So MOF 1 is a simple and convenient probe used not only for the rapid detection but also for the enrichment of trace amounts of Cu²⁺ in aqueous media, and the application can be further extended to a variety of environmental and biological analysis processes.

Metal-Organic Frameworks for Liquid Phase Applications

In the last two decades, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted overwhelming attention. With readily tunable structures and functionalities, MOFs offer an unprecedentedly vast degree of design flexibility from enormous number of inorganic and organic building blocks or via postsynthetic modification to produce functional nanoporous materials. A large extent of experimental and computational studies of MOFs have been focused on gas phase applications, particularly the storage of low-carbon footprint energy carriers and the separation of CO2-containing gas mixtures. With progressive success in the synthesis of water- and solvent-resistant MOFs over the past several years, the increasingly active exploration of MOFs has been witnessed for widespread liquid phase applications such as liquid fuel purification, aromatics separation, water treatment, solvent recovery, chemical sensing, chiral separation, drug delivery, biomolecule encapsulation and separation. At this juncture, the recent experimental and computational studies are summarized herein for these multifaceted liquid phase applications to demonstrate the rapid advance in this burgeoning field. The challenges and opportunities moving from laboratory scale towards practical applications are discussed.

Selective fluorescence sensing properties of a novel two-fold interpenetrating coordination polymer

One novel 3D interpenetrated Zn(ii) CP acts as multi-functional chemosensors in detection of acetone, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Cr₂O₇²⁻, CrO₄²⁻ and nitrofurantoin (NFT).