Turn-on fluorescence in tetraphenylethylene-based metal-organic frameworks: an alternative to aggregation-induced emission

Coordinative immobilization of functionalized tetraphenylethylene within rigid porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) turns on fluorescence in the typically non-emissive tetraphenylethylene core. The matrix coordination-induced emission effect (MCIE) is complementary to aggregation-induced emission. Despite the large interchromophore distances imposed by coordination to metal ions, a carboxylate analogue of tetraphenylethylene anchored by Zn(2+) and Cd(2+) ions inside MOFs shows fluorescence lifetimes in line with those of close-packed molecular aggregates. Turn-on fluorescence by coordinative ligation in a porous matrix is a powerful approach that may lead to new materials made from chromophores with molecular rotors. The potential utility of MCIE toward building new sensing materials is demonstrated by tuning the fluorescence response of the porous MOFs as a function of adsorbed small analytes.