Facile preparation of a tetraphenylethylene-doped metal–organic framework for white light-emitting diodes

Abstract

A highly emissive fluorophore, 1,2-bis(4-(4-carboxyphenyl))-1,2-diphenylethene (H₂BCPPE), has been successfully introduced into a bio-MOF-101-archetype structure via solvent-assisted ligand exchange (SALE). The crystallinity and topological structure of the as-synthesized compound are retained after ligand exchange. The exchange ratio of the BCPPE ligand in bio-MOF-101-BCPPE reaches 18.3 mol% as determined by ¹H NMR spectra of the dissolved samples. Additionally, bio-MOF-101-BCPPE exhibits broadband white emission with CIE coordinates of (0.35,0.36), under an excitation wavelength of 375 nm and an applied bias of 3 V; therefore, it can be used as a white light-emitting diode (WLED). This work can be easily extended to other porous materials for the design and preparation of new light devices.