An electron-deficient viologen metal-organic material for colorimetric and luminescence sensing of organic amines

Organic amines are ubiquitous and essential in the dye, polymer, and pharmaceutical industries, but can also be highly corrosive and toxic. Developing a quick and efficient method to detect organic amines is an important challenge. In this paper, we demonstrate the detection of organic amines by colorimetric and luminescence sensing of an electron-deficient viologen metal organic material. The material, comprising 1-(3,5-dicarboxyphenyl)-4,4′-bipyridinium and Cd(II), possesses a two-dimensional framework with viologen-lined chromophores and accessible electron-deficient viologen moieties constituting Lewis acidic sites. It exhibits reversible photochromic behavior under UV–Vis light irradiation and a visual color change and fluorescence quenching upon contact with amine vapors and solutions. Due to the defined pore size of the framework, the fluorescence sensing efficiency showed organic amine size dependence. The vapochromism and fluorescence quenching is attributable to electron transfer from the organic amine to the electron-deficient viologen moiety, generating colored viologen radicals.