Syntheses, structures and photoluminescence of a series of coordination frameworks based on dicarboxylate anion and bis(imidazole) ligand

► These compounds display intriguing and versatile coordination features with 1D, 2D and 3D frameworks. ► H2L3 is a good candidate for construction of coordination polymers with diverse structures. ► The coordination behaviors of metal ions have a great effect on the structures of the complexes.