A zeolitic Cd(II) boron imidazolate framework with sensing and catalytic properties

•A zeolitic ABW topology Cd(II) boron imidazolate framework, namely BIF-51.•Sensing for nitrobenzene.•Load Ag nanoparticles in BIF-51.•Catalytic reduction 4-nitrophenol by using Ag@BIF-51 as a catalyst.

A zeolitic Cd(II)-boron-imidazolate-framework (BIF-51) with ABW topology has been successfully synthesized by using pre-synthesized B(im)4- ligands (im=imidazole) and [Cd(CH3COO)]− building units. Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were loaded in BIF-51 by the pore confinement effect of BIFs. Sensing property of nitrobenzene on BIF-51 and catalytic property of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) on Ag@BIF-51 were also investigated.

Graphical abstractA neutral boron imidazolate framework with ABW topology was synthesized by using octahedral metal center, acetate and B(im)4- ligand according to the charge balancing and geometry principle, which displayed excellent performance on sensing of nitrobenzene, and the Ag nanoparticles loading sample also exhibited good catalytic activity.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide