Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) or porous coordination polymers (PCPs) are open, crystalline supramolecular coordination architectures with porous facets. These chemically tailorable framework materials are the subject of intense and expansive research, and are particularly relevant in the fields of sensory materials and device engineering. As the subfield of MOF-based sensing has developed, many diverse chemical functionalities have been carefully and rationally implanted into the coordination nanospace of MOF materials. MOFs with widely varied fluorometric sensing properties have been developed using the design principles of crystal engineering and structure-property correlations, resulting in a large and rapidly growing body of literature. This work has led to advancements in a number of crucial sensing domains, including biomolecules, environmental toxins, explosives, ionic species, and many others. Furthermore, new classes of MOF sensory materials utilizing advanced signal transduction by devices based on MOF photonic crystals and thin films have been developed. This comprehensive review summarizes the topical developments in the field of luminescent MOF and MOF-based photonic crystals/thin film sensory materials.

Two porous hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) based on arene sulfonates and guanidinium ions are reported. As a result of the presence of ionic backbones appended with protonic source, the compounds exhibit ultra-high proton conduction values (σ) 0.75× 10(-2)  S cm(-1) and 1.8×10(-2)  S cm(-1) under humidified conditions. Also, they have very low activation energy values and the highest proton conductivity at ambient conditions (low humidity and at moderate temperature) among porous crystalline materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). These values are not only comparable to the conventionally used proton exchange membranes, such as Nafion used in fuel cell technologies, but is also the highest value reported in organic-based porous architectures. Notably, this report inaugurates the usage of crystalline hydrogen-bonded porous organic frameworks as solid-state proton conducting materials.

Selective and sensitive nitro explosive detection by a porous luminescent metal-organic framework has been reported. For the first time MOF based selective explosive detection in the presence of other nitro analytes in aqueous media is demonstrated.

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A three-dimensional water-stable cationic metal-organic framework (MOF) pillared by a neutral ligand and with Ni(II)  metal nodes has been synthesized employing a rational design approach. Owing to the ordered arrangement of the uncoordinated tetrahedral sulfate (SO4 (2-) ) ions in the channels, the compound has been employed for aqueous-phase ion-exchange applications. The compound exhibits rapid and colorimetric aqueous-phase capture of environmentally toxic oxoanions (with similar geometries) in a selective manner. This system is the first example of a MOF-based system which absorbs both dichromate (Cr2 O7 (2-) ) and permanganate (MnO4 (-) ) ions, with the latter acting as a model for the radioactive contaminant pertechnetate (TcO4 (-) ).