Selective luminescent sensing of teflubenzuron and oxyfluorfen by a resorcin[4]arene-based metal-organic framework

In this work, a new resorcin[4]arene-based metal-organic framework, [Zn4L(H2O)10]center dot 10H2O, has been synthe-sized by incorporating Zn(II) cations and a dodecacarboxylic-functionalized resorcin[4]arene (H12L) ligand. The structure of [Zn4L(H2O)10]center dot 10H2O was characterized using a single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The two-dimensional layered structures were linked to adjacent layers by hydrogen bonds to form a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture. [Zn4L(H2O)10]center dot 10H2O exhibits excellent stability in water and various organic solvents, therefore, it was used as a luminescent probe to detect pesticides, such as teflubenzuron and oxy-fluorfen. Teflubenzuron can significantly enhance the luminescence intensity of [Zn4L(H2O)10]center dot 10H2O due to the hydrogen bond interaction, whereas oxyfluorfen can decrease the luminescence intensity of [Zn4L(H2O)10]center dot 10H2O, which is attributed to the charge transfer and energy transfer. The luminescence mechanism was sup-ported by the density functional theory calculations. The limit of detection for teflubenzuron and oxyfluorfen was 0.18 mu M and 4.08 mu M, respectively.

Automated summary

In this study, a new resorcin[4]arene-based metal-organic framework was synthesized and utilized for luminescent detection of herbicides. The metal-organic framework exhibited excellent stability and showed significant enhancement or decrease in luminescence intensity.