A microporous Cd-MOF based on a hexavalent silicon-centred connector and luminescence sensing of small molecules

Abstract

Solvothermal reaction of Cd²⁺ cations with a silicon-centered carboxylic acid (H₆L) afforded a novel metal–organic framework, namely, [Cd₃L(H₂O)₅]·DMA·H₂O (1). It is built from three {CdO₆} clusters and organosilicone linkers to form a 3D porous framework. The steric organosilicone ligand is among the never documented examples. Interestingly, 1 exhibited spontaneous formations of microtubular crystals, the phenomenon of which is rarely reported among the metal–organic coordination assemblies. In addition, the luminescence properties of 1 dispersed in different organic solvents have been investigated, displaying turn-on and turn-off luminescence responses for n-butanol and acetone, respectively.