A bifunctional luminescent Tb(III)-metal-organic framework by a tetracarboxylate ligand for highly selective detection of Fe3+ cation and Cr2O72- anion

Reaction of Tb3+ ions with p-terphenyl-3,3″,5,5″-tetracarboxylic acid (H4ptptc) in a mixed solvent system has afforded a new metal-organic framework formulated as [Tb2(ptptc)1.5(H2O)2]n (1). Compound 1 displays a 3D (5,6,8)-connected framework with fascinating one-dimensional triangle open channels. The luminescence explorations demonstrated that 1 exhibits highly selective and sensitive response to Fe3+ in DMF solution and biological system through luminescence quenching effects. In addition, 1 also shows high detection for the Cr2O72-, making it a promising dual functional materials for detecting Fe3+ cation and Cr2O72- anion with high sensitivity and selectivity.