An Efficient Blue-Emissive Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) for Lanthanide-Encapsulated Multicolor and Stimuli-Responsive Luminescence

A novel blue-emitting Zn(II) MOF featuring parallel 2D+2D interpenetrated layers and tubelike channels was generated and shown to efficiently accommodate lanthanide(III) cations (Ln(3+) = Eu3+, Tb3+, or a mixture of Eu3+/Tb3+), resulting in the Ln(3+)-encapsulated functional materials with a tunable emission color, including red, green, and nearly pure white light. Furthermore, the thermal-responsive luminescence was investigated for the lanthanide-codoped MOF to exhibit the chromic transition from white at room temperature to blue around liquid nitrogen temperature.