A stable terbium(III) metal-organic framework as a dual luminescent sensor for MnO4- ions and nitroaromatic explosives

A new terbium(III) metal-organic framework [Tb-2(BTZ)(mu(2)-H2O)(mu(3)-OH)(2)] (ZH-101, H(2)BTZ = 3.5-bis(4'-carboxy-phenyl)-1,2,4-triazole) was synthesized with BTZ ligands under solvothermal conditions for the luminescent study. It is constructed of [Tb-2(mu(2)-O)(mu(3)-O)2](n) 2D layered structure and is further connected by BTZ ligands with rich triazole-N sites to form a water-gable 3D net framework. ZH-101 displays excellent chemical stability in common organic solvents and water in the wide pH range of 0-11. The luminescence test experiment of ZH-101 in water containing different anions shows selective fluorescence quenching for MnO4- with low detection limit (0.16 mM). In addition, ZH-101 also displays excellent luminescence stability in different solvents and can selectively detect nitroaromatic explosives in DMF solutions, especially for 4-nitrophenol with K-sv = 3.38 x 10(4) M-1, and low detection limit of 0.20 mM. It still retains original fluorescence intensity and chemical stability after five cycles experiments, exhibiting remarkable long-term cycle and reversibility. Therefore, ZH-101 is a competitive and promising candidate for sensing MnO4- ions and nitroaromatic explosives.