Amine-responsive adaptable nanospaces: fluorescent porous coordination polymer for molecular recognition

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Porous coordination polymers (PCPs) offer dynamic nanospaces for guest molecule encapsulation.
• These materials are promising platforms for molecular recognition due to noncovalent interactions.
• Chromophoric organic linkers within PCPs can facilitate signaling mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flexible 3D supramolecular framework for selective molecular recognition.
• To investigate the use of PCPs as a platform for selective turn-on emission signaling.
• To explore the mechanism of emission signaling in response to guest molecules.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a flexible 3D supramolecular framework {[Zn(ndc)(o-phen)]⋅DMF}n.
• Encapsulation of electron-donating aromatic amine guests within the PCP nanospaces.
• Analysis of selective turn-on emission signaling and charge-transfer complexation.
• Single-crystal X-ray structural characterization to elucidate structural features.

Main Results:

• The synthesized PCP framework {[Zn(ndc)(o-phen)]⋅DMF}n exhibits confined nanospaces.
• The material selectively accommodates different electron-donating aromatic amine guests.
• Selective turn-on emission signaling was observed, attributed to emissive charge-transfer (CT) complexation.
• CT emission is sometimes amplified by energy transfer from the chromophoric linker.

Conclusions:

• The flexible PCP serves as an effective molecular recognition platform.
• The system demonstrates tunable emission signaling for detecting aromatic amines.
• The findings highlight the potential of PCPs in sensing and molecular recognition applications.