Amine-Responsive Adaptable Nanospaces: Fluorescent Porous Coordination Polymer for Molecular Recognition

Flexible and dynamic porous coordination polymers (PCPs) with well-defined nanospaces composed of chromophoric organic linkers provide a scaffold for encapsulation of versatile guest molecules through noncovalent interactions. PCPs thus provide a potential platform for molecular recognition. Herein, we report a flexible 3D supramolecular framework {[Zn(ndc)(o-phen)]center dot DMF}(n) (o-phen= 1,10-phenanthroline, ndc=2,6-napthalenedicarboxylate) with confined nanospaces that can accommodate different electron-donating aromatic amine guests with selective turn-on emission signaling. This system serves as a molecular recognition platform through an emission-readout process. Such unprecedented tunable emission with different amines is attributed to its emissive charge-transfer (CT) complexation with o-phen linkers. In certain cases this CT emission is further amplified by energy transfer from the chromophoric linker unit ndc, as evidenced by single-crystal X-ray structural characterization.