Highly selective sorption and luminescent sensing of small molecules demonstrated in a multifunctional lanthanide microporous metal-organic framework containing 1D honeycomb-type channels.

A rare, robust microporous lanthanide metal-organic framework with 1D honeycomb-type channels is presented. Excellent adsorption capabilities for N(2), H(2), and CO(2) and significant selective sorption of CO(2) over N(2) and CH(4) were observed. Moreover, the guest-dependent luminescent behavior of these lanthanide materials shows a potential use for the sensing of small-molecule pollutants such as benzene and acetone.