Construction of 2D zinc(II) MOFs with tricarboxylate and N-donor mixed ligands for multiresponsive luminescence sensors and CO2 adsorption

The solvothermal reactions of ZnCl2·6H2O, benzene-1,3,5-tribenzoic acid (H3btb), and N-heterocyclic ancillary imidazole (Im) or aminopyrimidine (a mp) ligands led to the creation of two-dimensional (2D) zinc(II) based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), (Me2NH2)2[Zn2(btb)2(Im)2]·2DMF·3MeOH (1) and (Me2NH2)2[Zn2(btb)2(amp)]·H2O·2DMF·MeOH (2). The btb3- ligands in 1 and 2 form an anionic 2D layered structure with a (63) honeycomb (hcb) topology by linking to Zn(II) centres through their carboxylate groups. The incorporation of N-heterocyclic auxiliary ligands Im and amp into the hcb nets resulted in the formation of a 2D hydrogen-bonded and covalently pillared bilayer structure featuring two-fold interpenetrating networks. Each of these networks consists of small channels that are occupied by Me2NH2 cations and solvent molecules. Both 1 and 2 emit blue luminescence emissions in the solid state at room temperature and exhibit a great selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of acetone and multiple heavy metal ions including Hg2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Pb2+, Cr3+, and Fe3+ ions. At 1 bar, activated 1 and 2 demonstrate moderate capacities for adsorbing CO2 at room temperature, with a preference for CO2 over N2. Notably, at higher pressures (up to 20 bar), their activated samples 1 and 2 show a temperature-dependent enhancement of CO2 uptake while retaining good stability.

Syntheses, crystal structures and thermal properties of catena-poly[cadmium(II)-di-μ-bromido-μ-pyridazine-κ2 N 1:N 2] and catena-poly[cadmium(II)-di-μ-iodido-μ-pyridazine-κ2 N 1:N 2]

The reactions of cadmium bromide and cadmium iodide with pyridazine (C4H4N2) in ethanol under solvothermal conditions led to the formation of crystals of [CdBr2(pyridazine)] n (1) and [CdI2(pyridazine)] n (2), which were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The asymmetric units of both compounds consist of a cadmium cation located on the inter-section point of a twofold screw axis and a mirror plane (2/m), a halide anion that is located on a mirror plane and a pyridazine ligand, with all atoms occupying Wyckoff position 4e (mm2). These compounds are isotypic and consist of cadmium cations that are octa-hedrally coordinated by four halide anions and two pyridazine ligands and are linked into [100] chains by pairs of μ-1,1-bridging halide anions and bridging pyridazine ligands. In the crystals, the pyridazine ligands of neighboring chains are stacked onto each other, indicating π-π inter-actions. Larger amounts of pure samples can also be obtained by stirring at room-temperature, as proven by powder X-ray diffraction. Measurements using thermogravimetry and differential thermoanalysis (TG-DTA) reveal that upon heating all the pyridiazine ligands are removed in one step, which leads to the formation of CdBr2 or CdI2.

Role of chemisorbing species in growth at liquid metal-electrolyte interfaces revealed by in situ X-ray scattering

Liquid-liquid interfaces offer intriguing possibilities for nanomaterials growth. Here, fundamental interface-related mechanisms that control the growth behavior in these systems are studied for Pb halide formation at the interface between NaX + PbX₂ (X = F, Cl, Br) and liquid Hg electrodes using in situ X-ray scattering and complementary electrochemical and microscopy measurements. These studies reveal a decisive role of the halide species in nucleation and growth of these compounds. In Cl- and Br-containing solution, deposition starts by rapid formation of well-defined ultrathin (∼7 Å) precursor adlayers, which provide a structural template for the subsequent quasi-epitaxial growth of c-axis oriented Pb(OH)X bulk crystals. In contrast, growth in F-containing solution proceeds by slow formation of a more disordered deposit, resulting in random bulk crystal orientations on the Hg surface. These differences can be assigned to the interface chemistry, specifically halide chemisorption, which steers the formation of these highly textured deposits at the liquid-liquid interface.

Growth at liquid-liquid interfaces differ inherently from that on solids, making it attractive for nanomaterial formation. Here, the authors use X-ray scattering to derive a detailed microscopic picture of lead-halide growth on liquid mercury that reveals the key importance of anion adsorption.