The capture and conversion of CO2 from direct air into value-added products under mild conditions represents a promising step towards environmental remediation and energy sustainability. Consequently, herein, we report application...

The development of efficienth eterogeneous catalysts suitable for carbon capture and utilization(CCU) under mild conditions is ap romisingstep towards mitigating the growingc oncentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere.H erein, we report the constructiono fahydrogen-bonded 3D framework, {[Zn(hfipbba)(MA)]•3 DMF} n (hfipbba = 4,4'-(hexaflouroisopropylene)bis(benzoic acid)) (HbMOF1)u tilizingZ n II center,apartially fluorinated, long-chain dicarboxylate ligand (hfipbba), anda na mine-rich melamine (MA) coligand.I nterestingly,t he framework possesses two types of 1D channels decorated with CO 2-philic (ÀNH 2 and ÀCF 3) groups that promote the highly selectiveC O 2 adsorption by the framework,w hich was supported by computational simulations. Further,t he synergistic involvement of both Lewis acidic and basic sites exposedi nt he confined 1D channels along with high thermala nd chemical stabilityr endered HbMOF1 ag ood heterogeneousc atalyst for the highly efficient fixation of CO 2 in ar eaction with terminal/internal epoxidesa tm ild conditions (RT and 1bar CO 2). Moreover,i ndepth theoretical studies were carried out using periodic DFT to obtaint he relative energies for each stage involved in the catalytic reaction anda ni nsight mechanisticd etails of the reactioni sp resented. Overall,t his work represents ar are demonstrationo fr ational design of ap orousZ n II MOF incorporatingm ultiple functional sites suitable for highly efficient fixationo fCO 2 with terminal/internal epoxides at mild conditions supported by comprehensive theoretical studies.

Nitroaromatics are one of the most hazarduous compounds that contaminate water and are also used in explosives. The selective detection of nitroaromatics is highly warranted but at the same time...

Frequent use of antibiotics and the growth of industry lead to the pollution of several natural resources which is one of the major consequences for fatality to human health. Exploration of smart sensing materials is highly anticipated for ultrasensitive detection of those hazardous organics. The robust porous hydrogen bonded network encompassing a free-NH2 moiety, Zn(II)-based metal–organic framework (MOF) (1), is used for the selective detection of antibiotics and toxic oxo-anions at the ppb level. The framework is able to detect the electronically dissimilar antibiotic sulfadiazine and nitrofurazone via fluorescence “turn-on” and “turn-off” processes, respectively. The antibiotic-triggered reversible fluoro-switching phenomena (fluorescence “on–off–on”) are also observed by using the fluorimetric method. An extensive theoretical investigation was performed to establish the fluoro-switching response of 1, triggered by a class of antibiotics and also the sensing of oxo-anions. This investigation reveals that the interchange of the HOMO–LUMO energy levels of fluorophore and analytes is responsible for such a fluoro-switchable sensing activity. Sensor 1 showed the versatile detection ability which is reflected by the detection of a carcinogenic nitro-group-containing drug “roxarsone”. In view of the sustainable environment along with quick-responsive merit of 1, an in situ MOF gel composite (1@CS; CS = corn starch) is prepared using 1 and CS due to its useful potential features such as biocompatibility, toxicologically innocuous, good flexibility, and low commercial price. The MOF composite exhibited visual detection of the above analytes as well as antibiotic-triggered reversible fluoro-switchable colorimetric “on–off–on” response. Therefore, 1@CS represents a promising smart sensing material for monitoring of the antibiotics and oxo-anions, particularly appropriate for the real-field analysis of carcinogenic drug molecule “roxarsone” in food specimens.

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