A new metal–organic framework with high stability based on zirconium for sensing small molecules

A new porous Zr-based MOF was synthesized by the solvothermal method using 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDC) as the organic linker, and its luminescent performance and stability were investigated systematically. The material synthesized exhibits quite high chemical stability in addition to exceptional high thermal stability, better than the existing luminescent MOFs. The experiments combining with computations indicate that the electron transfer from inorganic moieties to organic moieties contributes to the luminescent behavior of the Zr-NDC MOF besides the NDC ligand. As far as we know, this is the first study of investigating the luminescent behaviors of such Zr-based MOFs. Moreover, the cycling measurements demonstrate an interesting prospect for the long-term reusability of this material. The results obtained in this work may provide useful information for the design of physicochemically stable MOFs with permanent porosity in sensing applications in the future.

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► A new porous zirconium-based luminescent MOF with high physicochemical stability has been synthesized.
► The nitrogen adsorption data indicates that the specific pore volume is 0.67 cm3 g−1and the surface area is 1720 m2 g−1.
► The emission intensity is enhanced compared to that of the free ligand NDC.
► The luminescent behavior in different solvent solutions suggests the potential ability for sensing applications.
► The reusability is excellent.