A luminescent metal–organic framework for selective sensing of Fe3+ with excellent recyclability

A stable lanthanum-based metal-organic framework as fluorescent sensor for detecting TNP and Fe3+ with hyper-sensitivity and ultra-selectivity

A new Lanthanum-based luminescent metal-organic framework, {[La(H₂O)₄(HL)]·H₂O} (1), has been successfully synthesized by employing 3,3',5,5'-azodioxybenzenetetracarboxylic acid (H₄L) as a rigid organic linker through the solvothermal reactions. 1 exhibits a two-dimensional (2D) layered structure and a three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular structure is formed by hydrogen bonds between the layers. Stability studies indicate that 1 has good chemical stability and thermostability. Meanwhile, the K_sv values for TNP is 4.61 × 10⁴ M^-1 with the LOD of 4.13 × 10^-6 M and the K_sv value for Fe³⁺ is 1.22 × 10⁴ M^-1 with the LOD of 1.72 × 10^-5 M, respectively, which demonstrated that 1 exhibits high sensitivity and excellent selectivity for the detection of TNP and Fe³⁺via fluorescence quenching. Significantly, 1 shows high regenerability after five recycling progress for sensing Fe³⁺. The possible mechanisms associated with the luminescent quenching are discussed in detail through some relevant experiments and tests, as well as the DFT calculations. Based on the above excellent properties of 1, it will have extremely potential to be used as a dual functional sensor for both detecting TNP and Fe³⁺ in aqueous solution, simultaneously.

N-Heterocyclic carbenes and their precursors in functionalised porous materials

Though N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have emerged as diverse and powerful discrete functional molecules in pharmaceutics, nanotechnology, and catalysis over decades, the heterogenization of NHCs and their precursors for broader applications in porous materials, like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), porous coordination polymers (PCPs), covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), porous organic polymers (POPs), and porous organometallic cages (POMCs) was not extensively studied until the last ten years. By de novo or post-synthetic modification (PSM) methods, myriads of NHCs and their precursors containing building blocks were designed and integrated into MOFs, PCPs, COFs, POPs and POMCs to form various structures and porosities. Functionalisation with NHCs and their precursors significantly expands the scope of the potential applications of porous materials by tuning the pore surface chemical/physical properties, providing active sites for binding guest molecules and substrates and realizing recyclability. In this review, we summarise and discuss the recent progress on the synthetic methods, structural features, and promising applications of NHCs and their precursors in functionalised porous materials. At the end, a brief perspective on the encouraging future prospects and challenges in this contemporary field is presented. This review will serve as a guide for researchers to design and synthesize more novel porous materials functionalised with NHCs and their precursors.

Construction of a Luminescent Cadmium-Based Metal-Organic Framework for Highly Selective Discrimination of Ferric Ions

Fluorescent metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are ideal materials for sensors because of their adjustable pore size and functional groups, which provide them with favorable metal ion selective recognition. In this paper, a new cadmium-based MOF was synthesized using Cd(NO₃)₂·4H₂O and 3,3′,5,5′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid by solvothermal method. CdBPTC owned three types of channels with dimensions of approximately 8.4 × 8.3 Å, 6.0 × 5.2 Å, 9.7 × 8.4 Å along a, b, and c axis, respectively. This MOF has high selectivity to ferric ions and shows excellent anti-inference ability toward many other cations. The results indicate that the fluorescence quenching efficiency of CdBPTC is close to 100% when the concentration of Fe³⁺ reaches 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol·L⁻¹. Moreover, the luminescent intensity at 427 nm presents a linear relationship at a concentration range of 2.0 × 10⁻⁴~7.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol·L⁻¹, which can be quantitatively expressed by the linear Stern–Volmer equation I₀/I = 8489 [Fe³⁺] − 0.1400, which is comparable to the previously reported better-performing materials. Competitive energy absorption and ion exchange may be responsible for the variation in fluorescence intensity of CdBPTC in different Fe³⁺ concentrations.

Hydrothermal synthesis of two-dimensional cadmium(II) micro-porous coordination material based on Bi-functional building block and its application in highly sensitive detection of Fe3+ and Cr2O72

Metal-organic framework (MOFs), also known as porous coordination polymers (PCPs), is a new kind of crystalline porous materials, which has received extensive attention in the past few decades. As a new type of sensing material, MOFs stand out from many other traditional fluorescence sensors because of its crystal characteristics, structural diversity, stable porosity and adjustable functional characteristics. In this work, the bi-functional building block containing aromatic carboxylic acid and triazole moieties, namely 3-(1H-1,3,4-triazol-1-yl) benzoic acid, was selected as the linker to synthesize {[Cd(µ₅-L)⋅I}_n (1, HL = 3-(1H-1,3,4-triazol-1-yl)benzoic acid) by hydrothermal method with transition Cd^II metal centers. Firstly, the preliminary characterization of 1 was carried out by means of PXRD, FT-IR, and then the UV and fluorescence tests were conducted to study the fluorescence properties of 1. The crystal structure analysis indicates that Cd^II is the center and the ligand is bridged to form a two-dimensional porous structure. In addition, 1 has good selectivity for Fe³⁺ and Cr₂O₇^2-, meanwhile, it has high detection sensitivity (K_sv quenching efficiency for Fe³⁺: 1.2 × 10⁴ M^-1 and Cr₂O₇^2- 1.85 × 10⁴ M^-1) and low detection limit (Fe³⁺: 19.21 μM and Cr₂O₇^2-: 12.46 μM). The results of photoluminescence test show that 1 can detect cations and anions with high sensitivity, resist the interference of other ions, and have good reusability. As far as we know, 1 is the first example of ultra-stable two-dimensional (2D) Cadmium (II) microporous coordination material as a fluorescence sensor for Fe³⁺ and Cr₂O₇^2-.

A Novel Drug Delivery System: the Encapsulation of Naringenin in Metal-Organic Frameworks into Liposomes

Poorly water-soluble naringenin (NAR) was selected as a model drug and loaded into the porous MOFs for the construction of NAR@ZIF-8 inclusion complex. By film dispersion method, NAR@ZIF-8 was further encapsulated into liposomes to fabricate a novel drug delivery system. Liposomes and a novel drug delivery system were established. Subsequently, the lipid-drug ratio, phospholipid-cholesterol ratio, and hydration temperature were investigated using the Box-Behnken design based the single factor experiment. The prepared liposomes system showed spherical or quasi-spherical shape, uniform particle size distribution, and complete structure. More specifically, the average particle size was 113.2 ± 1.4 nm, and zeta potential was - 7.536 ± 0.264 mV. Moreover, the drug release behaviors of NAR, NAR@ZIF-8, and NAR@ZIF-8 liposomes were explored in vitro. Compared with free NAR and NAR@ZIF-8 which exhibited a burst drug release, NAR@ZIF-8 liposomes showed a more sustained release behavior with 79.86% drug release in 72 h. In vitro cytotoxicity experiments showed that, compared with free NAR and NAR@ZIF-8, NAR@ZIF-8 liposomes exhibited higher inhibition efficiency on lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells in a concentration-dependent manner.

Various Cd(ii) coordination polymers induced by carboxylates: multi-functional detection of Fe3+, anions, aspartic acids and bovine serum albumin

By adjusting carboxylates, six Cd(ii) coordination polymers based on a naphthalene-methylene mixed-bridged-amide ligand, [Cd(L)(DNBA)2] (1), [Cd2(L)2(BDC)2(H2O)2]·2H2O (2), [Cd(L)(1,4-CHDA)] (3), [Cd(L)(HIPA)(H2O)]·H2O (4), [Cd(L)(MIP)]·H2O (5), and [Cd(L)(PMA)0.5(H2O)]·H2O (6) [L = N,N'-bis(4-methylenepyridin-4-yl)-1,4-naphthalene dicarboxamide, HDNBA = 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid, H2BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid, 1,4-H2CHDA = 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, H2HIPA = 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid, H2MIP = 5-methylisophthalic acid and H4PMA = pyromellitic acid] have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. 1 shows a 4-c sql coplanar structure. 2 exhibits a 2-fold vertical interpenetrating structure based on wave-like 4-c sql layers. 3 shows a (3,5)-c pnh network containing a unique μ3-L. 4 features a 4-c sql wave-like network. 5 and 6 exhibit 3D structures with 6-c pcu and 4-c mog topologies. The number of carboxyl groups and functional group positions of the carboxylates have an important influence on the structures of the title complexes. The fluorescent responses of 1-6 towards Fe3+, anions, aspartic acid and bovine serum albumin were investigated. Among them, 4 shows sensitivity and selectivity (KSV = 1.16 × 104 L mol-1 for Fe3+, 1.03 × 104 L mol-1 for CrO42-, 1.08 × 104 L mol-1 for Cr2O72-, 1.17 × 104 L mol-1 for MnO4- and 1.05 × 104 L mol-1 for aspartic acid).

Three-in-one is really better: exploring the sensing and adsorption properties in a newly designed metal-organic system incorporating a copper(ii) ion

A 2-D copper(ii)-based coordination polymer, [Cu(SCN)(hmp)]_n CP (1), was crystallized via the slow evaporation method after the reaction of CuSO₄·5H₂O, 2-pyridinemethanol (hmpH), sodium thiocyanate and sodium hydroxide in water for functional applications. CP (1) was characterized via elemental analysis, FTIR, PXRD, magnetic, EPR, crystallographic and TGA studies. The crystal structure and EPR data confirmed a square pyramidal geometry around the Cu(ii) ions. The topological analysis revealed that CP 1 has a {6^{^}3} point symbol with a [6.6.6] extended point symbol and 3-c net, uninodal net having hcb and Shubnikov hexagonal plane net/(6,3) type of uncommon topology. The magnetic studies suggested the strong antiferromagnetic nature of CP (1). The fluorescence sensing property of CP (1) was investigated with different nitro aromatic compounds and hazardous metal ions. CP (1) demonstrated high selectivity and sensitivity towards nitrobenzene, even in the presence of other competitive nitro aromatics. In addition, CP (1) showed excellent selectivity and sensitivity toward Fe³⁺ over other metal ions. The possible detection mechanisms were proposed employing UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and DFT calculations. CP (1) also showed excellent recyclability towards both analytes, and its initial intensity was almost regained after several washings. Moreover, CP (1) acted as an excellent adsorbent material for natural dyes with different charges and sizes, i.e., methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO) and Rhodamine-B. Furthermore, CP (1) was utilized repeatedly for the effective adsorption of MB from wastewater without significant loss in its adsorption capacity. Hence, the present CP (1) was designed to relate coordination chemistry with various functional applications of interest.

Rapid and Low-Cost Electrochemical Synthesis of UiO-66-NH2 with Enhanced Fluorescence Detection Performance

Rapid and low-cost synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are very meaningful for their future practical application. In the present study, a Zr-based ultrastable MOF, UiO-66-NH₂, was successfully synthesized by electrochemical method using metal Zr as the metal source at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The effects of the reaction conditions, including the ratio of solvent (electrolyte), the applied voltage and different reaction time, on the crystallinity, morphology, and synthesis rate of the product were fully investigated. The results confirm that electrochemically synthesized UiO-66-NH₂ under the optimized condition possesses apparent merits such as high crystallinity, uniform morphology and high porosity. Moreover, the electrochemical synthesis method of UiO-66-NH₂ is promising for the large-scale and economical synthesis of nanoscale product to gramme degree. Interestingly, the resulting UiO-66-NH₂ synthesized by this electrochemical method exhibits more excellent performance for the fluorescence detection of Fe³⁺ ions in water (detection limit of 10^-8 mol/L) than that of the material prepared by solvothermal method.

Extraordinary sensitivity for H2S and Fe(iii) sensing in aqueous medium by Al-MIL-53-N3 metal-organic framework: in vitro and in vivo applications of H2S sensing

An Al(iii) metal-organic framework (MOF) called Al-MIL-53-N₃ (1) was synthesized under solvothermal reaction conditions using Al(NO₃)₃·9H₂O and H₂BDC-N₃ (H₂BDC-N₃ = 2-azido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid) ligand in a DMF/water (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) mixture. Phase purity was checked by performing X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis suggests that 1 is highly stable up to 300 °C under air atmosphere. The activated 1 (called 1') showed a very fast fluorescence response to H₂S (turn-on) and Fe(iii) ions (turn-off) in an aqueous medium with excellent sensitivity and selectivity even in the presence of other potentially intrusive analytes. In the presence of H₂S, the conversion of the azide moiety to amine is responsible for the fluorescence turn-on properties. On the other hand, the partial replacement of framework Al(iii) ions by Fe(iii) can be assigned for the selective detection behavior to Fe(iii) ions. The detection limits (90.47 nM for H₂S and 0.03 μM for Fe(iii) ions in water) of 1' are lower than those of the formerly reported MOF type of fluorescent sensors. The 1'-loaded J774A.1 macrophage cells are healthy and respond to intracellular H₂S to exhibit strong blue fluorescence, confirming its suitability to detect H₂S inside the cells. In addition, 1' can detect H₂S in human blood plasma (HBP) and sulfide ions in real water samples. These features make 1' a very promising candidate for the on-site sensing of Fe(iii) ions and the detection of intracellular and extracellular H₂S.

Highly sensitive and selective fluorescent probe for Fe3+ and hazardous phenol compounds based on a water-stable Zn-based metal–organic framework in aqueous media

A novel metal–organic framework (MOF), specifically a Zn-MOF, exhibited excellent performance in highly sensitive and selective sensing of Fe³⁺ and hazardous phenol compounds.