Solvothermal Strategy Research Articles

Bottom-Up Fabrication of 1D Cu-based Conductive Metal-Organic Framework Nanowires as a High-Rate Anode towards Efficient Lithium Storage.

Conductive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as a newly emerging multifunctional material, hold enormous promise in electrochemical energy-storage systems owing to their merits including good electronic conductivity, large surface area, appropriate pore structure, and environmental friendliness. In this contribution, a scalable solvothermal strategy was devised for the bottom-up fabrication of 1D Cu-based conductive MOF, that is, Cu3 (2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene)2 (Cu-CAT) nanowires (NWs), which were further utilized as a competitive anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The intrinsic Li storage mechanism of the Cu-CAT electrode was also explored. Benefiting from its structural virtues, the resultant 1D Cu-CAT NWs were endowed with superb Li+ diffusion coefficients and electrochemical conductivities and exhibited remarkably high-rate reversible capacities of approximately 631 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 and even approximately 381 mAh g-1 at 2 A g-1 , along with striking capacity retention of 81 % after 500 cycles at 0.5 A g-1 . In addition, a Cu-CAT NWs-based full cell assembled with LiNi0.8 Co0.1 Mn0.1 O2 as the cathode displayed a large energy density of approximately 275 Wh kg-1 as well as excellent cycling behavior. These results manifest the promising application of 1D conductive Cu-CAT NWs in advanced LIBs and even other potential versatile energy-related fields.

Binder-free NaTi2(PO4)3 anodes for high-performance coaxial-fiber aqueous rechargeable sodium-ion batteries

Sodium superionic conductors-structured NaTi2(PO4)3 (NTP) is a significant anode material for high-energy-density aqueous rechargeable sodium-ion batteries (ARSIB) as result of its high capacity, abundant sources and suitable negative voltage plateau. Conventional synthesis of NTP with inevitable high-temperature treatment and subsequent slurry-casting procedure commonly lead to complicated high-cost process and reduced active sites. Thus, it is highly desirable yet significantly challenging to fabricate self-standing NTP-based electrodes. Herein, a simple solvothermal synthesis strategy is demonstrated to fabricate novel binder-free NTP-based electrodes without the need for any further post-synthesis treatment. As a proof-of-concept for applications, we successfully assemble a high-voltage coaxial-fiber ARSIB (CFARSIB). Taking advantages of the unique coaxial architecture and the synergy of novel electrode materials, the resulting CFARSIB exhibits a high capacity of 37.84 mAh cm−3 and an impressive energy density of 57.66 mWh cm−3. This work provides innovative insights and new possibilities to design binder-free NTP materials and will accelerate the development of high-performance wearable SIBs.

One pot solvothermal synthesis of novel fluorescent phloem-mobile phenylpyrazole amide pesticides fused olefin moieties to enhance insecticidal bioactivities and photodegradation properties

In order to find a novel type of fluorescent phloem-mobile insecticides, a facile one-pot solvothermal strategy via fipronil addition-elimination substitution reaction with the corresponding acyl chloride derivatives has been employed to construct series of phenylpyrazole amide derivatives (PAs) fused olefin moieties in high yields. The investigation for insecticidal bioactivities of PAs against 3rd instar larvae of Plutella xylostella exhibited better activities than that of fipronil, which can be elucidated by enhanced phloem mobility and calcium ions' coordination with amide N-C=O, CC double bonds and chloride ions, extended conjugate moieties and decreasing steric hindrance of the stereoscopic structure. The introduction of amide units conferred phloem mobility to PAs, which was evaluated by the hydrophobic parameters determined with reversed-phase HPLC through the chromatographic capacity factor. By introducing conjugate moieties and organic chromophore into phenylpyrazole parent structure to increase their conjugation degree and light absorption abilities, PAs exhibited good photodegradation properties. The relationships between extended conjugate moieties of parent structure, electronegativity of substituted groups and photodegradation properties have been discussed. The olefin units connected to PAs caused electronic absorption and fluorescent wavelengths bathochromic shifted. Under simulated solar irradiation, PAs can be reconverted into fipronil parent fragments by photodegradation, thereby enhancing their insecticidal activity. The fluorescent quantum yields of PAs were almost 4 times that of fipronil, which also laid a foundation for the natural degradation and fluorescence detection of insecticide residues.

Defect-rich and electron-rich mesoporous Ti-MOFs based NH2-MIL-125(Ti)@ZnIn2S4/CdS hierarchical tandem heterojunctions with improved charge separation and enhanced solar-driven photocatalytic performance

Defective-rich and electron-rich mesoporous NH2-MIL-125(Ti)@ZnIn2S4/CdS hierarchical tandem heterojunctions were fabricated through two-step solvothermal and one-step hydrothermal strategies. The interface with electron enrichment can cause active interface reaction, fast transfer and separation of charge carriers and restrain the photocorrosion of CdS. ZnIn2S4, as a bridge to connect Ti-MOFs and CdS, favors the separation of charge carriers and forms tandem heterojunctions. The as-prepared photocatalyst has a relative large surface area of ∼877.0 m2 g−1 and a narrow band gap of ∼1.84 eV, which could absorb visible light efficiently. Furthermore, it exhibits a high photocatalytic hydrogen generation rate which was increased to 2.367 mmol g−1 h−1 and the high photocatalytic degradation efficiency for 2,6-dichlorophen and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol which were 98.6% and 97.5%, respectively. Additionally, recycling text for several cycles indicates the high stability. This novel Ti-MOFs based core@shell hierarchical tandem heterojunctions may offer a new insight for fabricating high-performance heterojunctions for multi-channel charges transfer.

Flexible Solid-State Supercapacitors with High Areal Performance Enabled by Chlorine-Doped Graphene Films with Commercial-Level Mass Loading

Flexible supercapacitors (FSCs) are promising energy suppliers for the emerging wearable devices. Because of the limited human body surface area, it is vital to prepare a flexible electrode with high areal performance. To address this challenge, we propose a facile hydrochloric acid (HCl) solvothermal strategy to fabricate high areal performance chlorine-doped reduced graphene oxide films (Cl-RGOFs). Owing to the electron-withdrawing effect induced by the doped Cl atoms and reducibility of HCl, the electrical conductivity of Cl-RGOF enhanced 2.5 times compared with the pristine-reduced graphene oxide film, which effectively decreased internal resistance, ensuring impressive capacitive performance. As a result, Cl-RGOF exhibits near-linear growth of specific areal capacitance with the increasing of mass loading to the commercial level. For flexible solid-state supercapacitors (FSSCs), Cl-RGOFs with 11 mg cm–2 mass loading present high areal capacitance of 2312 mF cm–2 and 78.7% capacitance retention from 1 to 20 mA cm–2. The FSSC shows a high areal energy density of 160.6 μW h cm–2 at the power density of 0.5 mW cm–2. Besides, the FSSC also shows stable capacitance at different bending angles or after 500-times bending, demonstrating high flexibility and practicality. This strategy provides a new path for the preparation of high areal performance FSC for wearable devices.

Self-Assembled 3D Flower-like Composites of Heterobimetallic Phosphides and Carbon for Temperature-Tailored Electromagnetic Wave Absorption.

Bimetallic cobalt-nickel phosphides as a microwave absorber with a well-defined 3D hierarchical flower-like architecture featuring the ultrathin 2D subunits are very unusual and rarely reported. Herein, for the first time, we successfully prepared 3D flower-like CoNi-P/C composites with 2D nanosheet subunits via a one-pot solvothermal self-assembled strategy followed by a one-step carbonization-phosphorization process. Interestingly, the chemical composition and electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption performance of composites are highly influenced by the calcination temperature. As the calcination temperature increases from 300 to 500 °C, the crystal pattern transformed from CoP with nickel ions uniformly intercalating into the lattice to the CoNiP structure. Comparing with CoNi-P/C-400 and CoNi-P/C-500, the CoNi-P/C-300 sample exhibited an optimal reflection loss (RL) value of -65.5 dB at 12.56 GHz with a thickness of 2.1 mm and an ultralow filler loading of 15 wt %. Furthermore, the fundamental EM wave absorption mechanism was proposed. The synergetic effects of dramatical attenuation ability and well-matched impedance endue CoNi-P/C-300 with superior microwave absorption performance. This work may be enlightening in promoting the development of heterobimetallic phosphides in the wave-absorbing field due to their intrinsic magnetism, higher electrical conductivity, as well as eco-friendly traits.

Self-assembled 3D NixCo3-xO4 pseudocube superstructure as potential anode material for Li-Ion batteries

Self-assembled 3D NixCo3-xO4 pseudocube superstructure was successfully synthesized through a facile solvothermal strategy followed by a calcination process. Structure analyses shows that the mesoscopic 3D pseudocube superstructures are stacked by mesoporous nanoflakes with tiny nanoparticles as basic unit, as an anode material for Li-Ion Batteries, such a hierarchical structure can greatly buffer the volume expansion and effectively shorten lithium ion diffusion distance. Comparing with the 1D NiCo2O4 nanorods and 2D Co3O4 nanoflakes synthesized via changing the synthesis parameters, it conclude that the nickel leach process plays a key role in formation of this unique morphology and a mechanism is proposed. As expected, the 3D NixCo3-xO4 pseudocube exhibits the most impressive lithium storage performance, delivering a high reversible capacity of 1225 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 200 mA g−1, and even at high current of 4000 mA g−1, it still delivers a specific capacity of 645 mA h g−1. These results suggest a promising application for advanced energy storage units.

Solvothermally synthesized highly porous W18O49 nanowires for UV, humidity and pH detection

Abstract Highly porous nanostructures can be applied in multifunctional sensing devices and energy storage devices. However, an ultrathin nano-porous one dimensional nanowire is rarely reported until now. Herein, an improved solvothermal strategy is adopted to yield ultrathin W18O49 nanowires composed of nano-pores. The resulting W18O49 nanowires exhibited a high specific surface area of 153.2 m2/g, even exceeding the highest value for the tungsten oxide nanowires reported previously. To show the capability of the nano-porous nanowire products, the nanowires were assembled to thin membranes and characterized with three different sensing capabilities, i.e., UV, humidity and pH. Typically achieved response time of the nanowire membrane devices for UV and humidity are 0.2 s and 0.6–1 s, respectively. pH is detected with a high linear characteristic in the range of 3–6. With their one dimensional geometry, nano-porous structure and high sensitivity, the W18O49 nanowires hold tremendous prospect for multifunctional sensing platform.

Surface-oxygen vacancy defect-promoted electron-hole separation of defective tungsten trioxide ultrathin nanosheets and their enhanced solar-driven photocatalytic performance

Defective WO3 ultrathin surface-engineered nanosheets are fabricated by a solvothermal and low-temperature surface hydrogenation reduction strategy. The obtained defective WO3 ultrathin nanosheets with thicknesses of ∼4 nm possess a relatively large surface area of ∼25 m2 g−1. After surface engineering, the bandgap is narrowed to ∼2.48 eV due to the presence of surface oxygen vacancies, which further enhance the visible light absorption. The defective WO3 ultrathin nanosheets exhibit excellent solar-driven photocatalytic degradation performance for the complete degradation of the highly-toxic metribuzin herbicide (∼100%). The first-order rate constant (k) of the defective WO3 ultrathin nanosheets is ∼3 times higher than that of the pristine one. This can be ascribed to the formation of suitable surface-oxygen vacancy defects that promote the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and the two-dimensional ultrathin structure facilitating the surface engineering as well as furnishing a large number of surface active sites. Moreover, the defective WO3 ultrathin nanosheets exhibit high stability because the photocatalytic activity remains almost unchanged after 10 cycles, making them favorable for practical applications. This work offers new insights into the fabrication of other high-performance ultrathin nanosheet oxide photocatalysts for environmental applications.

Highly Fluorescent Green Carbon Dots as a Fluorescent Probe for Detecting Mineral Water pH.

In this report, high-brightness green carbon dots were successfully prepared using 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid as the sole precursor and synthesized in one step using a solvothermal strategy. Under the excitation of 365 nm ultraviolet light, the quantum yield of carbon dots is as high as 53.8%. Experiments revealed that the carbon dots are highly carbonized and the surface is rich in amino and carboxyl groups. The synthesized carbon dots have good water solubility, and are resistant to ions and temperature. The fluorescence intensity of CDs is sensitive to pH changes and is linearly correlated with the pH in the near-neutral range (pH = 6.0 to 9.0). Our experiments showed that carbon dots were sensitive and accurate fluorescent probes for measuring the pH value of drinking water, which could provide an effective method for measuring the pH value of water in the future.

Efficient toxicity elimination of aqueous Cr(VI) by positively-charged BiOClxI1-x, BiOBrxI1-x and BiOClxBr1-x solid solution with internal hole-scavenging capacity via the synergy of adsorption and photocatalytic reduction

The ecological toxicity of photocatalysts and toxicity reduction of Cr(VI) have attracted much attention. The development of environmentally-friendly photocatalysts with adsorption and internal hole-scavenging capacity for toxicity reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) via facile preparation method is desirable. In this study, visible-light-active BiOClxBr1-x, BiOClxI1-x and BiOBrxI1-x solid solutions were prepared by simple solvothermal strategy. The BiOCl0.3Br0.7, BiOCl0.7I0.3 and BiOBr0.7I0.3 solid solutions exhibited excellent adsorption capacity and photoreduction ability. The removal efficiency of Cr(VI) by BiOCl0.3Br0.7 was 97.7% within 60 min. BiOCl0.7I0.3 and BiOBr0.7I0.3 can remove Cr(VI) almost completely within less than 30 min, which were much higher than those by BiOCl (81.6%) and BiOBr (67.4%) due to joint effect of adsorption and photoreduction. More importantly, the toxicity evaluation confirmed nontoxicity of BiOClxBr1-x, BiOClxI1-x and BiOBrxI1-x, and rapid toxicity elimination process of Cr(VI).

Solvothermal synthesis of graphene encapsulated selenium/carboxylated carbon nanotubes electrode for lithium–selenium battery

Lithium selenium batteries have received extensive attention for high volumetric energy density of 3254 mAh cm−3. However, the dissolution and volume change of selenium leads to rapid decay of capacity during the cycling process, which remains a challenge. Herein, we successfully synthesized the graphene encapsulated selenium/carboxylated carbon nanotubes (Se/CCNTs-RGO) composites by solvothermal strategy using 1-octadecene as the solvent. The CCNTs and RGO, which reduces volume expansion, enhances the rate of ion transport, and strongly limits the soluble polyselenides. The resulting Se/CCNTs-RGO exhibits outstanding electrochemical performances. It can deliver initial discharge capacity of 592 mAh g−1 at density of 200 mA g−1 and show excellent rate capability. This preparation method can be extended to other electrode materials for battery systems.

Multifunctional Gadolinium-Based Coordination Polymer Hollow Submicrospheres: Synthesis, Characterization and Properties

In this work, we have developed a general, simple and template-free solvothermal strategy to prepare Yb3+ and Er3+ codoped Gd-based coordination polymer (GdCP) hollow spheres with glycylglycine as a ligand. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, infrared and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the hollow spheres. The GdCP hollow spheres are with a size of about 200 nm and the thickness of the shell was about 30 nm. Upconversion emission with 832 nm being the strongest was realized in the hollow spheres when excited with 980 nm laser. Magnetic measurement reveals that the GdCP hollow sphere is paramagnetic. The relaxation information was measured and the product is subjected to T1 weighted imaging. These prepared GdCP hollow spheres may be applied to multimodal imaging.

Dendritic core-shell rhodium@platinum-cobalt nanocrystals for ultrasensitive electrochemical immunoassay of squamous cell carcinoma antigen

Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) has great diagnostic values for its high specificity (90–96%) in diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma especially cancers, where electrochemical immunoassay is powerful for its accurate and reliable detection of specific tumor biomarkers at very low levels. In this work, well-defined three-dimensional dendritic core-shell rhodium@platinum-cobalt nanocrystals (Rh@PtCo NCs) were facilely prepared via a simple one-pot solvothermal strategy. Taking advantage of dramatically enhanced catalytic activity of the Rh@PtCo NCs for catechol oxidation, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor was developed for highly sensitive assay of SCCA. Under optimal conditions, the electrochemical signals were linearly correlated with the logarithm of the SCCA concentration, showing a broad linear range from 0.0001 to 10.0 ng mL−1 and a ultralow detection limit of 0.04 pg mL−1 (S/N = 3). The resultant immunosensor was further exploited for actual analysis of serum samples with convinced results. This immunosensor has good expectation in actual samples analysis and provides a universal approach for detection of other tumor markers and disease surveillance.

Preparation of Pt/(Ti3C2Tx)y-(MWCNTs)1-y electrocatalysts via a facile and scalable solvothermal strategy for high-efficiency methanol oxidation

Although direct methanol fuel cells are promising as “green” power generators for portable electronics, their further development has been largely hampered by the low-efficiency of the commercial anode catalysts. In this study, (Ti3C2Tx)y-(MWCNTs)1-y (0 ≤ y ≤1) supported Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts were fabricated by a facile and scalable solvothermal strategy, after which two-dimensional(2D) Ti3C2Tx nanosheets were found to be intercalated and connected by conductive one-dimensional(1D) MWCNTs. Used for methanol oxidation reaction, the Pt/(Ti3C2Tx)0.5-(MWCNTs)0.5 catalyst exhibited the maximum electrochemical active surface area (ECSA, 154 m2/g) and excellent electrochemical activity (812.9 mA/mg), higher than not only Pt/Ti3C2Tx and Pt/MWCNTs of this study, but also many other related catalysts reported in literature. In addition, the CO-poisoning behavior was also alleviated using Pt/(Ti3C2Tx)0.5-(MWCNTs)0.5 instead of Pt/Ti3C2Tx and Pt/MWCNTs. Such a superior performance can be attributed to the well dispersion of Pt nanoparticles (∼3.8 nm), enhanced layer distance of Ti3C2Tx to capture more Pt nanoparticles, and conductive action of MWCNTs to connect Ti3C2Tx. This study opens a new perspective for developing high performance supercapacitors using Pt catalysts supported by 1D-intercalated 2D materials.

Nanosized Iron Oxide Uniformly Distributed on 3D Carbon Nanosheets: Efficient Adsorbent for Methylene Blue

Magnetic carbon materials as adsorbents for dye removing have attracted increasing attention because of their magnetic separation feature. However, the immobilization of large magnetic particles on a carbon matrix greatly decreases the available sites for adsorption, resulting in a low adsorption capacity. The synthesis of magnetic carbon materials as adsorbents for dye adsorption with high adsorption capacity remains challenging. Herein, porous carbon (PC) was firstly synthesized through the calcination of macroporous acrylic type cation exchange resin. The as-prepared PC was applied as a matrix to deposit nano-sized Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MPC) via a facile one-pot solvothermal strategy. The nano-sized Fe3O4 nanoparticles (5.19 nm in diameter) are uniformly distributed on the PC surface. The MPC possesses an exceptional performance for methylene blue removal (qe = 214.4 mg g−1) at room temperature, outperforming most previous magnetic carbon adsorbents. The large surface area of the MPC originated from the combined advantages of PC and nano-sized Fe3O4 must be ascribed to the high performance of MPC composite toward methylene blue adsorption.

Rapid toxicity elimination of organic pollutants by the photocatalysis of environment-friendly and magnetically recoverable step-scheme SnFe2O4/ZnFe2O4 nano-heterojunctions

An efficient and environmentally-friendly photocatalytic degradation process by nontoxic and easily-recovered photocatalysts is desirable for wastewater treatment. Step-scheme (S-scheme) SnFe2O4/ZnFe2O4 nano-heterojunctions with nontoxicity, strong magnetism, and high visible-light photocatalytic performance were synthesized by one-step solvothermal strategy, and SnFe2O4 content was optimized. 5% SnFe2O4/ZnFe2O4 heterojunctions exhibited optimal visible-light photocatalytic performance in degrading tetracycline with 93.2% removal efficiency, and the COD of actual pharmaceutical wastewater decreased by 77.5% due to the efficient production of active species. Moreover, 5% SnFe2O4/ZnFe2O4 heterojunctions is very convenient to be recycled from solution using external magnetic field, and the photocatalytic activity remains almost unchanged in repeated use due to its strong magnetism and high stability. More significantly, the toxicity evaluation confirmed nontoxicity of SnFe2O4/ZnFe2O4 and rapid toxicity elimination process of tetracycline by photocatalysis, indicating that environment-friendly and magnetically recoverable S-scheme SnFe2O4/ZnFe2O4 heterojunction is a promising photocatalyst for wastewater treatment.

Plasmonic Ag nanoparticles decorated SrTiO3 nanocubes for enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction and H2 evolution under visible light irradiation

Herein, Ag decorated SrTiO3 nanocomposites (ASTO) were fabricated by solvothermal strategy. The resultant ASTO nanocomposites possess the broad plasmonic resonance absorption for visible light, achieving the obvious visible light photocatalytic CO2 reduction and H2 evolution performance. CO, CH4 and H2 were detected for CO2 reduction, but the photocatalytic system exhibits a high CO selectivity. The A0.5STO achieves the largest CO generation amount of 80.24 μmol·g−1. Moreover, the ASTO nanocomposite also shows an enhanced visible light photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of 264.5 μmol·g−1·h−1. The remarkable photocatalytic reduction performance should belong to the improved visible light absorption capacity benefitted from the localized surface plasmon resonance, and the improved electron extraction and transfer between Ag and STO in ASTO nanocomposite. Admittedly, the abundant reactive electrons over ASTO nanocomposites achieved efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction and H2 evolution performance under visible light. Finally, photocatalytic reduction mechanism was investigated. The work provides a feasible controlled synthesis approach to fabricate plasmonic Ag decorated perovskite nanocomposite, achieving efficient visible light photocatalytic CO2 reduction and H2 generation.

3D cross-linked BiOI decorated ZnO/CdS nanorod arrays: A cost-effective hydrogen evolution photoanode with high photoelectrocatalytic activity

ZnO/CdS photoanode with an excellent photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance for water splitting to produce hydrogen, but its practical application is seriously hindered owing to the photocorrosion induced by photoholes on the surface of CdS. Herein, a 3D cross-linked heterostructure ZnO/CdS/BiOI nanorod arrays (NRAs) has been prepared by a simple solvothermal strategy. Under visible light illumination (λ > 420 nm), the ZnO/CdS/BiOI NRAs photoanode shows an excellent PEC activity and generates a photocurrent density of 9.12 mA cm−2 at 1.1 V vs. RHE, which is 1.8 times higher than that of the ZnO/CdS NRAs photoanode in the alkaline electrolyte. Furthermore, the photoanode achieves a high photo conversion efficiency of 3.49% and a long-time stability over 6000 s. It is proposed that the BiOI nanosheets not only serve as protecting layer to restrain the photocorrosion of CdS, but also facilitate the charge separation in CdS by the virtue of the p-n junction formed between CdS and BiOI.

Cluster-based CaII, MgII and CdII coordination polymers based on amino-functionalized tri-phenyl tetra-carboxylate: Bi-functional photo-luminescent sensing for Fe3+ and antibiotics

Excess and deficiency of iron(III) and antibiotics from normal permissible limits will induce serious disorders, so their detection is important but challenging. In this work, the asymmetric amino-functionalized tetra-carboxylate H4L (2′-amino-1,1’:4′,1″-terphenyl-3,3″,5,5″-tetracarboxylic acid) containing large conjugated ter-phenyl aromatic backbones have been synthesized and employed. Through a one-pot powerful solvo-thermal synthetic strategy, a series of unique tri-nuclear cluster-based CaII, MgII and CdII coordination polymers, namely [Ca1.5(μ8-HL)(DMF)]n (1), {[Mg1.5(μ7-HL)·(H2O)2]·3H2O}n (2) and {[Cd1.5(μ10-L)0.75]n·H2O·DMF}n (3) have been successfully prepared. 1–3 exhibit excellent photo-luminescent properties and good fluorescence stability. Structural analyses reveal that tri-nuclear CaII secondary building blocks (SBUS) are linked via HL3−, forming the 2D clustered-based micro-porous coordination polymer 1. As for 2, three carboxylate groups of partly de-pronated HL3− also link these neighboring tri-nuclear MgII SBUS, which constructs the 2D MgII coordination framework 2. As for 3, fully de-pronated L4− also links these neighboring tri-nuclear CdII SBUS, which ultimately constructs the 3D micro-porous coordination framework 3. Experimental powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns coincide well with the theoretical patterns, which indicate that we have successfully synthesized the pure phase material 1–3. Photo-luminescent experiments demonstrate that coordination polymers 1–3 can be successfully applied towards bi-functional sensing for sensitive detection of Fe3+ and the antibiotics NZF (Nitrofurazone). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of the application of amino-functionalized tri-phenyl tetra-carboxylate based MOFs towards bi-functional discrimination of Fe3+ and NZF antibiotics with high efficiency Ksv values (For Fe3+: 7.28 × 104 M−1 for 1; 3.38 × 104 M−1 for 2 and 3.29 × 104 M−1 for 3 and for NZF antibiotics: 4.47 × 103 M−1 for 1; 4 × 103 M−1 for 2 and 5.6 × 103 M−1 for 3).