Cluster-Based Crystalline Materials for Iodine Capture

The treatment of radioactive iodine in nuclear waste has always been a critical issue of social concern. The rational design of targeted and efficient capture materials is of great significance to the sustainable development of the ecological environment. In recent decades, crystalline materials have served as a molecular platform to study the binding process and capture mechanism of iodine molecules, enabling people to understand the interaction between radioactive iodine guests and pores intuitively. Cluster-based crystalline materials, including molecular clusters and cluster-based metal-organic frameworks, are emerging candidates for iodine capture due to their aggregative binding sites, precise structural information, tunable pores/packing patterns, and abundant modifications. Herein, recent progress of different types of cluster materials and cluster-dominated metal-organic porous materials for iodine capture is reviewed. Research prospects, design strategies to improve the affinity for iodine and possible capture mechanisms are discussed.

Coordination-driven assembly of a 3d-4f heterometallic organic framework with 1D Cu4I4 and Eu-based chains: syntheses, structures and various properties

A three-dimensional porous 3d-4f heterometallic organic framework, namely, {[Eu3(Cu4I4)3(INA)9(DMF)4]·3DMF}n (YNU-2), was successfully prepared under solvothermal conditions. There are two different one-dimensional metal chains in the structure, namely, Cu4I4 and EuIII-based chains, resulting in an excellent stability of the prepared sample. A N2 sorption isotherm at 77 K revealed that the activated sample exhibits a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 371 m2 g-1, while, YNU-2 can adsorb obviously higher CO2 amounts than CH4 at 273 K and 298 K under 1 atm because of the stronger interaction force between CO2 and the porous skeleton. Furthermore, YNU-2 is highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for chemical fixation of the CO2 and epoxides into cyclic carbonates with a preferable recyclability. Taking into account its excellent stability, the prepared sample can be used to construct an electrochemical adapter sensor for detecting cocaine with a detection limit of 0.27 pg mL-1 in the wide range of 0.001-0.5 ng mL-1.