Extremely Stable Thorium‐MOF Assembly of Tetraphenylethylene Derivative With Tunable AIE Property and Highly Selective Detection of Nitro Aromatic Compounds

Abstract

AbstractThorium‐based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are unique, which are substantially less reported compared to the MOFs based on transition metal and rare earth elements. Here, a thorium‐MOF (Th‐TCBPE) based on 4',4'',4''',4''''‐(ethene‐1,1,2,2‐tetrayl)tetrakis([1,1'‐biphenyl]‐4‐carboxylic acid) (H4TCBPE) and thorium nitrate is synthesized first. Th‐TCBPE is an interpenetrated 2D network, where Th (IV) is ten‐coordinated with a bicapped dodecahedron coordination geometry. Further studies about the structure by time‐resolved emission spectra (TRES) analysis are also discussed. What's more, Th‐TCBPE has excellent thermal stability and good tunable AIE property on concentration in THF. The photophysical properties of Th‐TCBPE in different solvents, different concentrations in THF, and different ratios of THF/H2O are studied. The ability of Th‐TCBPE to detect nitro aromatic compounds is also investigated. It is also believed that this work can provide theoretical guidance and inspiration for the development of Th‐MOF and MOF with AIEgens in the future.