Linker Installation in a Metal-Organic Framework for Enhanced Quantitative Redox Species Recognition

Linker installation has proven to be an effective strategy for introducing diverse functional groups into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Reductants and oxidants are found in various environments, but their accumulation poses a danger due to their high reactivity, necessitating prompt monitoring instantly, particularly in natural environments and industrial processes. In this study, a series of redox-active dyes were successfully incorporated into a flexible Zr-based MOF, PCN-700, through linker installation strategy. Notably, both the reduction of PCN-700-Resazurin towards oxidants and oxidation of PCN-700-Amplex Red towards reductants result in the formation of PCN-700-Resorufin, which exhibit visible color changes and largely elevated luminescent intensities, giving rise to the quantitative recognition of reductants and oxidants. This work presents a straightforward approach to developing efficient luminescent sensors for the rapid qualitative and quantitative detection of reductants and oxidants, extending the sensing mechanism from common energy transfer to electron transfer and demonstrating the MOF's versability as a highly designable sensing material for target analytes.