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DOE OSTI · 1849869

A robust and multifunctional calcium coordination polymer as a selective fluorescent sensor for acetone and iron (+3) and as a tunable proton conductor

Abstract

A multifunctional calcium coordination polymer (Ca-CP) formulated as [(CH 3 ) 2 NH 2 ][Ca(Me 2 tcpbH)(H 2 O)] (1) has been synthesized and characterized. Compound 1 features a robust and novel three-dimensional (3D) network with cage-like cavities. The high thermal and moisture stability of the title compound makes it a good candidate for possible environment or energy related applications. Fluorescence (FL) studies demonstrate that 1 shows emission with a maximum at 350 nm under 270 nm excitation. The title compound acts as a selective and sensitive fluorescent sensor for the detection of acetone and Fe 3+ ions at low concentrations. The FL intensity quenching percentage and the concentration ratio of Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ showed a linear relation with a Fe 3+ concentration as low as 50 μM in Fe 2+ aqueous solutions, offering an easy way to probe the extent of Fe 2+ oxidation. Moreover, due to the relatively high hydration character of Ca 2+ , the terminal water molecules and undeprotonated carboxylate groups form a strong hydrogen-bonded network within the structure, facilitating its tunable proton conduction under various humidity and temperature conditions. The proton conducting mechanism has been investigated using PXRD, IR, and EA methods.

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Wu, Zhao-Feng, Fu, Zhi-Hua, Velasco, Ever, Xing, Kai, Wang, Hao, Zou, Guo-Dong, Huang, Xiao-Ying, Li, Jing. 2020-10-22. A robust and multifunctional calcium coordination polymer as a selective fluorescent sensor for acetone and iron (+3) and as a tunable proton conductor. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0tc04371k

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