Two-dimensional -conjugated metal-organic framework with high electrical conductivity for electrochemical sensing

A two-dimensional -conjugated metal-organic framework (MOF) with long-range delocalized electrons has been prepared and applied as modified electrode material without further post-modification. The MOF (Cu-3(HHTP)(2)) is composed of Cu(II) centers and a redox-active linker (2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene, HHTP). Compared to most MOFs, Cu-3(HHTP)(2) displays higher electrical conductivity and charge storage capacity owing to the collective effect of metal ions and aromatic ligands with - conjugation. In order to confirm the superior properties of this material, the electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA) was conducted and the satisfactory results were obtained. The currents increase linearly with the concentration of DA in the range 5.0 x 10(-8) to 2.0 x 10(-4) M with a detection limit of 5.1 nM. Furthermore, Cu-3(HHTP)(2) presents high selectivity and applicability in serum samples for electrochemical DA sensing. Overall, this material has excellent potential as a promising platform for establishing an MOF-based electrochemical sensor.