Photo-induced electron transfer in a metal–organic framework: a new approach towards a highly sensitive luminescent probe for Fe3+

Abstract

A Co-based mixed-ligand metal–organic framework (MOF), ZJU-109, is reported by utilizing 6-(4-pyridyl)-terephthalic acid (H₂pta) and 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl (4,4′-bimbp) as double linkers. By tuning the d-PET process between ligands 4,4′-bimbp and H₂pta, a fluorescent turn-on sensor for Fe³⁺ with a detection limit as low as 0.053 μM has been demonstrated.