Surfactant-thermal method to synthesize a new Zn(II)-trimesic MOF with confined Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ complex

A surfactant-thermal method was used to prepare a new zinc-1,3,5-benzentricarboxylate-based metal-organic framework (ZJU-100) with confined Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ (RuBpy) complex by using surfactant PEG 400 as reaction medium. The RuBpy molecules were encapsulated between the 2-D sheets in ZJU-100. ZJU-100 showed bathochromic shift in the steady-state emission spectrum and increased emission lifetimes relative to RuBpy molecules. The extended lifetime is attributed to the reduced nonradiative decay rate due to the stabilization of RuBpy within the rigid MOF framework. These results represent the first example of MOF with confined complex synthesized by surfactant, indicating that the surfactant-thermal method could offer exciting opportunities for preparing new MOFs host/guest materials with novel structures and interesting luminescent properties. - Graphical abstract: A surfactant-thermal method was used to prepare a new zinc-1,3,5-benzentricarboxylate-based metal-organic framework (ZJU-100) with confined Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ (RuBpy) complex by using surfactant PEG 400 as reaction medium. - Highlights: • Surfactant-thermal synthesis of crystalline metal-organic framework host/guest materials. • RuBpy molecules were encapsulated between the 2-D sheets of MOFs. • Extended lifetime is observed due to the stabilization of RuBpy within the rigid MOF framework