A 3D porous luminescent terbium metal-organic framework for selective sensing of F− in aqueous solution

Abstract

An extremely stable Tb metal-organic framework (Tb-MOF), namely [Tb(H4btca)∙3H2O]n (H4btca=[1,1′-biphenyl]-2,3,3′,5′-tetracarboxylic acid), was synthesized under hydrothermal condition. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicated Tb-MOF exhibits a 3D structure with 1D channel, which crystallizes as an orthorhombic system with a Pccn space group. In addition, Tb-MOF displays bright green luminescence under the irradiation of UV light at 254nm. Meanwhile, the investigations showed that Tb-MOF possessed excellent thermal and pH stability. More importantly, it can selectively and rapidly sense F− among proprietary halide and pseudohalide ions, and can be used for quantitative detecting F−.