A Zn(II) coordination polymer as a dual sensor for ppb level detection of antibiotics and organo-toxins in a green solvent

Herein, we describe the synthesis of a new fluorescent d¹⁰ coordination polymer, [Zn₂(CFDA)₂(BPEP)]_n·nDMF (CP-1) under solvothermal reaction condition using zinc metal ion. In CP-1, Zn(II) ion along with CFDA and BPED ligand forms a 2-fold self-interpenetrated 3D coordination polymers. This CP-1 is characterized by the single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), infrared spectra, optical microscope image and thermogravimetric analysis and the framework is found to maintain its structural stability in different solvents. The framework (CP-1) detected antibiotics (NFT (nitrofurantoin) and NZF (nitrofurazone)) and organo-toxin trinitrophenol in aqueous dispersed medium. Apart from the fast responsive (10 s), the detection limit for them was found at ppb level. The detection of these organo-aromatics were also comprehended by the colorimetric response through solid, solution and low cost paper strip technique i.e., triple mode recognition capability. The probe is re-usable without changing in its sensing efficiency and in addition, it has been applied for the detection of these analytes in the real field specimens (soil, river water, human urine and commercial tablet). The sensing ability is established by in-depth experimental analysis and the life time measurement where mechanism such as photo induced electron transfer (PET), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), inner filter effect (IFE) was recognized. The presence of guest interaction sites on the linker backbone in CP-1 induces diverse supramolecular interaction with the targeted analytes results to bring them in proximity for the occurrence of these sensing mechanism. The Stern-Volmer quenching constant values of CP-1 for the targeted analytes are admirable and the low detection limit (LOD) values for NFT, NZF and TNP are found to be 34.54, 67.79 and 43.93 ppb respectively. Further, the DFT theory is carried out in details to justify the sensing mechanism.

Efficient emission of Zn(II) and Cd(II) complexes with nopinane-annelated 4,5-diazafluorene and 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one ligands: how slight structural modification alters fluorescence mechanism

Zinc(II) and cadmium(II) chlorido complexes with an N,N-chelating nopinane-annelated 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one ligand (LO) were synthesized. While the zinc(II) complex is mononuclear and adopts a tetrahedral ZnN₂Cl₂ coordination geometry, its cadmium(II) analogue features a 1D polymeric structure due to the bridging coordination of chlorido ligands with Cd²⁺ ions having an octahedral CdN₂Cl₄ coordination geometry. The photophysical properties of the oxygen-containing LO ligand and its zinc(II) and cadmium(II) complexes were studied in solution and in the solid state and matched against the properties of its oxygen-free 4,5-diazafluorene congener L and its complexes of the same metal ions. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical studies revealed the impact of the oxygen atom in the ligand core on the luminescence of the ligands and the complexes. For the oxygen-free L ligand and L-based complexes, the structural differences between the S₀ and S₁ geometries are small, which leads to fluorescence with extraordinarily small Stokes shifts. The emission of these compounds is of locally excited character for L and of mixed locally excited + ligand-to-halide charge transfer character for the L-based complexes. The introduction of the oxygen atom in the ligand core results in a drastic red-shift of the emission band due to short-range charge transfer. The differences between the S₀ and S₁ geometries are much more pronounced for LO and LO-based compounds than those of their oxygen-free analogues, leading to an order of magnitude larger Stokes shifts. On going from solution to the solid state, LO and its complexes exhibit aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behaviour with photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) reaching tens of percent.

Tailored Inorganic-Organic Architectures via Metalloligands

This article discusses the design principles and strategies and the structural outcome of various supramolecular architectures constructed by utilizing well-defined coordination complexes as the metalloligands. We have included selected examples of metalloligands, offering either pyridyl or arylcarboxylic acid groups as the appended functional groups, for illustrating the construction of their supramolecular architectures. Both geometrical position and the number of the appended functional groups emerging from a metalloligand were found to critically regulate the structural aspects and dimensionality of the resultant material. The article concludes by delineating the structure-directing lessions as well as the potential applications of the metalloligand-based supramolecular architectures for the generation of next-level materials.