A multifunctional Eu2-cluster coordination polymer as a luminescent probe of imidacloprid and renewable catalyst for the fixation of CO2 with epoxides

Abstract

A bifunctional coordination polymer material is of great significance for the environmentally friendly applications due to its inherent advantages such as abundant active sites and characteristic metal ions. Here, a 3D Eu2-based framework 1 ({[Eu2(BTB)2(H2O)2]}n, H3BTB = 1,3,5-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene) has been prepared through solvothermal method, presenting excellent chemical stability and thermal stability. Importantly, compound 1 serving as a recyclable luminescence probe (five times) can recognize pesticide imidacloprid with detection limit of 4.9 ppm, featuring good selectivity and anti-interference performance in simulative serum and urine environments. Additionally, in view of abundant Lewis-acid sites, compound 1 can be employed as an efficient catalyst for the conversion reaction of CO2 and epoxides with different substituent groups into high-valued chemical substances (five-cycled carbonate) without solvent. More importantly, this heterogeneous catalyst can be reused without significant change in catalytic activity after five reaction cycles, which are further confirmed by the PXRD, ICP and IR analyses of catalyst 1 after the fifth recycling. This work greatly enriched the applications of multifunctional coordination materials in CO2 cycloaddition catalysis and luminescence sensing.