Effective sensing of RDX via instant and selective detection of ketone vaporsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Synthesis, PXRD, TG and gas adsorption data, UV, PL and IR spectra, molecular orbital and band structure calculations etc. CCDC 979464 and 979465. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/c4sc02157f

• Main Authors: Hu, Zhichao, Tan, Kui, Lustig, William P, Wang, Hao, Zhao, Yonggang, Zheng, Chong, Banerjee, Debasis, Emge, Thomas J, Chabal, Yves J, Li, Jing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2041-6520; 2041-6539
• DOI: 10.1039/c4sc02157f

Two new luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs) were synthesized and examined for use as sensory materials. Very fast and effective sensing of RDX was achieved by vapor detection of a cyclic ketone used as a solvent in the production of plastic explosives. The effects of porosity and electronic structure of the LMOFs on their sensing performance were evaluated. We demonstrate that the optimization of these two factors of an LMOF can significantly improve its sensitivity and selectivity. We also elucidate the importance of both electron and energy transfer processes on the fluorescence response of a sensory material. Sensing a cyclic ketone frequently used as a solvent in the production of plastic explosives allows us to rapidly and effectively detect RDX. We explain the effects of the electron and energy transfer processes on the fluorescence response of a sensory material in this study.