A Novel 2D Copper-Organic Framework for Catalyzing CO₂ Chemical Fixation and Luminescence Sensing

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) show promising applications in catalysis and luminescent sensors due to their unique organic-inorganic porous structure. Herein, a novel copper MOF (Cu-MOF) is architected by the assembly of an imidazole and carboxylic acid functionalized flexible ligand (HIM) with copper ions under hydrothermal conditions. The Lewis acid and base built-in structure of HIM facilitate the architecting of a 2D porous 3-c network with {4(3)} topology during the self-assembled coordination. the Cu-MOF can be used to catalyze the reaction of CO2 with epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates with 12 examples of substrate scope in 70-98% yields under mild conditions. The catalyst shows recycling ability and achieves the conversion of cyclic carbonate beyond 90% after 5 cycles. In addition, the Cu-MOF can be developed as a turn-on Fe3+-selective luminescent sensor with a detection limit of 0.53 mu M. Moreover, the sensor can selectively recognize MnO4- and Cr2O72- by emission quenching with detection limits of 0.57 and 0.23 mu M, respectively. Besides, the sensor shows recycling ability in sensing and can be regenerated and reused 5 times. Therefore, the Cu-MOF exhibits versatility and offers promising applications in catalysis and luminescent sensors.