Sensing and Discrimination of Explosives at Variable Concentrations with a Large-Pore MOF as Part of a Luminescent Array.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown great promise for sensing of dangerous chemicals, including environmental toxins, nerve agents, and explosives. However, challenges remain, such as the sensing of larger analytes and the discrimination between similar analytes at different concentrations. Herein, we present the synthesis and development of a new, large-pore MOF for explosives sensing and demonstrate its excellent sensitivity against a range of relevant explosive compounds including trinitrotoluene and pentaerythritol tetranitrate. We have developed an improved, thorough methodology to eliminate common sources of error in our sensing protocol. We then combine this new MOF with two others as part of a three-MOF array for luminescent sensing and discrimination of five explosives. This sensor works at part-per-million concentrations and, importantly, can discriminate explosives with high accuracy without reference to their concentration.

Bismuth coordination networks containing deferiprone: synthesis, characterisation, stability and antibacterial activity.

A series of bismuth-dicarboxylate-deferiprone coordination networks have been prepared and structurally characterised. The new compounds have been demonstrated to release the iron overload drug deferiprone on treatment with PBS and have also been shown to have antibacterial activity against H. pylori.

Incorporation by coordination and release of the iron chelator drug deferiprone from zinc-based metal-organic frameworks.

A series of new zinc-based metal-organic framework materials has been prepared in which deferiprone is incorporated as a chelating ligand on infinite or tri-zinc secondary building units following deprotonation. Deferiprone is immediately released from the MOFs on treatments with 1 N hydrochloric acid or buffer, but slow release is observed in ethanoic acid.