4,4′-Bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl-appended Cd(ii) coordination polymer: a dual-functional material for antibiotic sensing and photodegradation

Abstract

In this work, a new d¹⁰-configuration based Cd(II) coordination polymer (CP) with the formula [Cd₂(CH₃COO)₂(bimb)₂]·2ClO₄ (1) have been synthesized using 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)biphenyl (bimb) ligand and characterized. Single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that the CP forms a 2D layer connected to a 3D supramolecular framework with weak packing interactions between benzyl and imidazolyl rings. CP 1 has been used as a photoluminescent sensor and a photocatalyst for the photodegradation of antibiotics, in particular nitrofurantoin (NFT). Sensing experiments indicate that 1 can selectively detect nitrofurantoin with a limit of detection of 0.025 μM, whereas when employed as a photocatalyst, CP 1 can photodecompose NFT up to 91.83% in a time span of 20 min. The decline in the photoluminescence intensity of CP 1 in the presence of NFT and the photocatalytic mechanism are addressed using theoretical calculations.