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Harnessing Enol-Keto Tautomerism in Pyrene-Based Covalent Organic Framework toward Optical Sensing
Zhili Shen1, Lei Chen2, Yujun Song1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China.
A novel hydroxyl-functionalized covalent organic framework (COF) exhibits reversible color change and enhanced luminescence in response to water and organic solvents. This material shows promise for sensitive optical sensing applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) offer tunable structures and porosity for sensing.
- Tautomerism in COFs is an underexplored area for optical sensing applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize a novel hydroxyl-functionalized pyrene-based COF.
- To investigate the tautomeric behavior and optical sensing capabilities of the synthesized COF.
Main Methods:
- Solvothermal synthesis of a hydroxyl-functionalized pyrene-based COF (TFFPy-COF-OH).
- Investigation of enol-keto tautomerism upon exposure to water and organic solvents.
- Optical characterization including color change and fluorescence spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- TFFPy-COF-OH exhibits an ultrafast, reversible yellow-to-red color change due to enol-keto tautomerism in water.
- Addition of organic solvents to aqueous suspensions enhances luminescence, showing resistance to aqueous quenching.
- The COF demonstrates high fluorescence sensitivity for THF detection with a low limit of detection (0.014%).
Conclusions:
- Enol-keto tautomerism in COFs can be effectively utilized for visual and fluorescent optical sensing.
- The developed TFFPy-COF-OH shows potential as a robust sensor for water and organic solvent mixtures.
- This work provides new insights into the optical applications of tautomerism in COF materials.
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