A two-fold interpenetrated metal-organic framework for the highly selective detection of explosive picric acid

Abstract A two-fold interpenetrated metal-organic framework{[Zn(bpydb)(H 2 O)](DMF) 0.75 } ( 1 , DMF =  N , N -dimethylformamide), involving the aromatic trigonal heterofunctional ligand 4,4′-(4,4′-bipyridine-2,6-diyl) dibenzoic acid (bpydbH 2 ) and Zn(II) metal center has been successfully synthesized under solvothermal condition. The structure of 1 was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which shows a two-fold interpenetrated 3-connected framework with ThSi 2 -type topology. The luminescent sensing of different nitro-explosives was investigated, and the results indicated that 1 could behave as an effective sensor for detecting picric acid (PA) with high selectivity and sensitivity. Furthermore, the quenching mechanism has also been investigated in detail.