A Polyhedral Metal–Organic Framework Based on Supramolecular Building Blocks: Catalysis and Luminescent Sensing of Solvent Molecules

Abstract

A multifunctional polyhedral metal–organic framework with a pcu network topology based on supramolecular building blocks can be constructed by the reaction of Eu(NO3)3 and pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid (H2PDC). The basic EuIII paddlewheel nodes as secondary building units (SBUs) are connected by PDC ligands to generate nanosized metal–organic cuboctahedra (MOCs), which are further connected by sharing the paddlewheel SBUs to give rise to a three-dimensional primitive cubic network arrangement. The obtained metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit excellent catalytic activity toward the cyanosilylation of aromatic aldehydes and could be reused without loss of activity. In addition, they can also be considered as a fluorescent probe for nitrobenzene sensing based on luminescence quenching effects arising from host–guest interactions. This porous MOF combining catalytic and fluorescent properties could further meet the requirement as a multifunctional material.