Tuning the rare-earth UiO-66 metal–organic framework platform for white light emission

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have received notable attention owing to their structural diversity, permanent porosity, and high surface areas. In addition to these properties, MOFs made of rare-earth (RE) metals have the potential to be used in photoluminescent applications, where photoluminescence is dictated by the identity of the metal ion and organic linker that are used to construct the RE-MOF. In this study, we investigate the photoluminescent properties of RE-UiO-66 by synthesizing and characterizing mono-, bi-, and tri-metallic analogues of RE-UiO-66 (RE = Tb(III), Eu(III), and Gd(III)), with the aim of designing a MOF with white light emitting properties. Additionally, as a proof of concept, the new Tb : Gd : Eu-UiO-66 MOF is used as a surface coating on a UV light emitting diode (LED) to give a white light emitting device where photostability of the MOF is tested.