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Mixed Cu(i)/Au(i) coordination polymers as reversible turn-on vapoluminescent sensors for volatile thioethers
Bryton R Varju1, Jeffrey S Ovens, Daniel B Leznoff
1Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada. dleznoff@sfu.ca.
Abstract:
Vapour-phase thioethers play an important role in a wide number of fields, including plant biology, chemical weapon disposal, and brewing but few sensor materials are known. The emissive coordination polymer Cu1/2Au1/2CN does not react with vapour phase dimethyl sulphide (DMS) or diethyl sulphide (DES) despite the independent synthesis of emissive [Cu1/2Au1/2CN]2(DMS) and [Cu1/2Au1/2CN]2(DES) from their constituent components in solution. However, the doped Cu2/3Au1/3CN rapidly reacts in the solid state with both of these vapour phase thioethers reversibly, with a change in emission from 380/560 nm to 460 nm (DMS) or 420 nm (DES), illustrating that doping the inactive parent Cu1/2Au1/2CN with Cu(i) generates an active sensor material. This response can be thermally cycled with little to no loss in functionality. [Cu1/2Au1/2CN]2(DMS), [Cu2/3Au1/3CN]2(DMS), and [Cu2/3Au1/3CN]2(DES) were structurally characterized as 3-D network structures supported by aurophilic interactions.
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