An Electroactive Zinc-based Metal-Organic Framework: Bifunctional Fluorescent Quenching Behavior and Direct Observation of Nitrobenzene.

This work reports on the facile synthesis, characterization, and electroactivity of a zinc-based [Zn3(TTPA)2(DHTP)3]·2DMF (1, TTPA = tris(4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)phenyl)amine, DHTP = dihydroxylterepthate) metal-organic framework, which has multifunctional properties due to its electroactive framework, permanent porosity, robust structure, and fluorescent nature. Topology analyses indicate that 1 contains a 3,4,4-c net. Sorption studies indicate that 1 is a suitable adsorbent for CO2 with a capacity of 10.2 wt % at 298 K; the capacity increased to 16.7 wt % at a lower temperature, 273 K. The incorporation of the redox-active TTPA ligand as an electron donor renders 1 to be an electroactive framework. The generation of radical cations from the chemical oxidation of 1 resulted in fluorescent quenching. The combination of porosity, fluorescence, and electroactivity in one entity suggests that 1 could serve as a sensing material for the detection of nitrobenzene. Exposing nitrobenzene to 1 quenches the fluorescent via host-guest interactions. The detection site of nitrobenzene in framework 1 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, [Zn3(TTPA)2(DHTP)3]·(H2O)(DMF)(2NB) or 1 ⊂ NB. In addition, the inclusion of nitrobenzene into the framework 1 stabilized the disordered molecules via strong hydrogen bonding. These findings indicate that versatile MOFs with multifunctional properties can be realized via a systematic design.