A Bifunctional Europium–Organic Framework with Chemical Fixation of CO2 and Luminescent Detection of Al3+

A novel three-dimensional lanthanide–organic framework {[Eu­(BTB)­(phen)]·4.5DMF·2H2O}n (1) has been synthesized. Structural characterization suggests that framework 1 possesses one-dimensional channels with potential pore volume, and the large channels in the framework can capture CO2. Interestingly, investigations on the cycloaddition reaction of CO2 and epoxides reveal that compound 1 can be considered as an efficient catalyst for CO2 fixation with epoxides under 1 atm pressure. Importantly, 1 can be reused at least five times without any obvious loss in catalytic activity. Furthermore, the luminescent explorations of 1 reveal that 1 can act as a recyclable sensor of Al3+, and the corresponding detection limit can reach 5 × 10–8 M (1.35 ppb), which is obviously lower than the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended level of Al3+ in drinking water (200 ppb). These results show that 1 has a level of sensitivity higher than that of other reported MOF-based sensors of Al3+.