A multi-responsive luminescent sensor based on a super-stable sandwich-type terbium()-organic framework

• Published in: Dalton transactions : an international journal of inorganic chemistry 2016-10, Vol.45 (39), p.15492-15499
• Main Authors: Wen, Guo-Xuan, Han, Min-Le, Wu, Xue-Qian, Wu, Ya-Pan, Dong, Wen-Wen, Zhao, Jun, Li, Dong-Sheng, Ma, Lu-Fang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anions; Cations; Luminescence; Molecular structure; Organic chemistry; Sensors; Two dimensional
• ISSN: 1477-9226; 1477-9234
• DOI: 10.1039/c6dt03057b

A super-stable multifunctional terbium( iii )-organic framework, namely {[Tb(TATAB) (H 2 O) 2 ]·NMP·H 2 O} n ( Tb-MOF , H 3 TATAB = 4,4′,4′′- s -triazine-1,3,5-triyltri- m -aminobenzoic acid, NMP = N -methyl-2-pyrrolidone) was synthesized. Tb-MOF exhibits a 2D sql structure with binuclear [Tb 2 (COO) 4 (H 2 O) 4 ] 2+ units as 4-connected nodes, and free water and NMP molecules are inserted between 2D layers through hydrogen-bonding interactions, forming a sandwich-type architecture. Observably, such a framework remains intact in a remarkable variety of environments such as common solvents and aqueous solutions with metal cations and inorganic anions, as well as with a pH ranging from 1 to 13. In particular, Tb-MOF can not only detect small organic molecules, metal cations and inorganic anions with high sensitivity and high selectivity, but also can accurately detect explosive 2-nitrophenol, 3-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol and 2,4,6-trinitrophenol in water. Its luminescence quenching response to Fe 3+ and Cr 2 O 7 2− ions can be explained in terms of the competitive absorption mechanism. In addition, the luminescence intensity of Tb-MOF is strongly correlated with the pH value in a pH range from 1 to 13. Thus, this material can be potentially used as a multi-responsive luminescent sensor. Multi-responsive fluorescent sensing for the recognition of different analytes at the molecular level is achieved using a Tb( iii )-based metal-organic framework ( Tb-MOF ).