Near sunlight continuous broadband white-light emission by single-phase Zn(ii)-1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate MOFs.

A new white light MOF was constructed from low-cost 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate and nontoxic Zinc(ii) ions. The compound possessed the most sophisticated crystallographic asymmetric unit containing sixteen metal ions and twelve ligands. Near sunlight and human eye friendly white-light emission under a wide ultraviolet radiation range of 300 to 390 nm was observed for this photoemitter, without the use of expensive rare earth and complicated organic ligands.