An imidazole functionalized copper(II)-organic framework for highly selective sensing of picric acid and metal ions in water

An imidazole functionalized metal–organic framework (MOF), Cu(HL)(H₂O)]·(H₂O)·(DMA) ( HBU-166 , H₃L = 4,4′,4″-(1H-imidazole-2,4,5-triyl)tribenzoic acid, DMA = N,N-dimethylacetamide) was synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. HBU-166 was observed as a two-dimensional MOF and showed good stability in water, an acidic solution (pH = 4), and an alkaline solution (pH = 9). HBU-166 exhibited ligand-based luminescence with a blue shift, which could be attributed to the coordination effect. Moreover, HBU-166 could be applied to detect nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) and metal ions in water with preferable selectivity and sensitivity. In particular, HBU-166 could be used as a promising luminescent sensor for picric acid (PA) with enhancement of emission intensity. The mechanism for PA detection likely involved electron transfer and weak interaction between ligand and electron-deficient of NACs at the beginning to increase the emission intensity. Additionally, HBU-166 exhibited excellent selectivity in the sensing of 4-nitrophenol and Fe³⁺ through fluorescence quenching.