Chromophore-immobilized luminescent metal-organic frameworks as potential lighting phosphors and chemical sensors

• Published in: Chemical communications (Cambridge, England) Vol. 52; no. 67; pp. 10249 - 10252
• Main Authors: Wang, Fangming, Liu, Wei, Teat, Simon J, Xu, Feng, Wang, Hao, Wang, Xinlong, An, Litao, Li, Jing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Chemical sensors; Derivatives; Emission; Excitation; Illumination; Lighting; Metal-organic frameworks; Phosphors
• ISSN: 1359-7345; 1364-548X
• DOI: 10.1039/c6cc05290h

An organic chromophore H4tcbpe-F was synthesized and immobilized into metal-organic frameworks along with two bipyridine derivatives as co-ligands to generate two strongly luminescent materials [Zn2(tcbpe-F)(4,4'-bpy)·xDMA] (1) and [Zn2(tcbpe-F)(bpee)·xDMA] (2) [4,4'-bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine, bpee = 4,4'-bipyridyl-ethylene, tcbpe-F = 4',4''',4''',4'''-(ethene-1,1,2,2-tetrayl)tetrakis(3-fluoro-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-carboxylic acid), DMA = N,N-dimethylacetamide]. Compounds 1 and 2 are isoreticular and feature a 2-fold interpenetrated three-dimensional porous structure. Both compounds give green-yellow emission under blue light excitation. Compound 1 has a high internal quantum yield of ∼51% when excited at 455 nm and shows selective luminescence signal change (e.g. emission energy and/or intensity) towards different solvents, including both aromatic and nonaromatic volatile organic species. These properties make it potentially useful as a lighting phosphor and a chemical sensor.