Construction and study of a dual-functional MOF with proton conductivity and fluorescence recognition capability

In this work, a dual-functional MOF (Mn-MOF) with proton conductivity and fluorescence recognition capabilities was constructed by employing a functional ligand. Notably, the Mn-MOF achieves a high proton conductivity of 1.52 × 10^-2 S cm^-1 at 90 °C and 98% RH. In addition, the Mn-MOF demonstrates excellent fluorescence sensing performance toward Cr³⁺ and Al³⁺ ions, with high selectivity, strong anti-interference ability and a low detection limit. The mechanistic analysis indicates that the uncoordinated amino groups in the Mn-MOF play a role in proton conductivity and fluorescence recognition.