Sorption Properties and Nitroaromatic Explosives Sensing Based on Two Isostructural Metal–Organic Frameworks

We
first designed and synthesized a new semirigid tripodal ligand
with tetrazole groups, 1,3,5-tri­(4-(2H-tetrazol-5-yl)­phenoxy)­benzene
(H3TTPB). Two isostructural
microporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely [Cu3(TTPB)2­(H2O)6]·5DMF
(JUC-130) and [Cd3(TTPB)2­(H2O)6]·6DMF (JUC-131) (JUC = Jilin
University, China), were successfully synthesized under solvothermal
reactions based on this ligand, which both possess two-dimensional
(2D) frameworks based on similar trinuclear metal centers as secondary
building units (SBUs). H3TTPB was designed as the organic building block, not only
because it is suitable to construct functionalized microporous frameworks
with numerous nitrogen atoms but also by reason for its blue luminescent
emission. Gas sorption measurements indicated that they are both microporous
frameworks. JUC-130 showed high stability in water and
selective sorption capabilities for alcohol and water vapors, which
may be further used for the separation of alcohol–water mixtures.
In addition, JUC-131 exhibited interesting and important
fluorescent properties, which can be used as one of the few known
MOFs useful for the detection of nitroaromatics via “supramolecular
wire effect”.