A 3D porous luminescent terbium metal-organic framework for selective sensing of F- in aqueous solution

An extremely stable Tb metal-organic framework (Tb-MOF), namely [Tb(H(4)btca).3H(2)O](n) (H(4)btca = [1,1'-biphenyl]-2,3,3',5'-tetracarboxylic acid), was synthesized under hydrothermal condition. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicated Tb-MOF exhibits a 3D structure with 1D channel, which crystallizes as an orthorhombic system with a Pccn space group. In addition, Tb-MOF displays bright green luminescence under the irradiation of UV light at 254 nm. Meanwhile, the investigations showed that Tb-MOF possessed excellent thermal and pH stability. More importantly, it can selectively and rapidly sense F- among proprietary halide and pseudohalide ions, and can be used for quantitative detecting F-. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.