A chiral Salen-based Zn(II)-Cd(II) heterometallic metal-organic framework: synthesis, crystal structure, and optical properties

A two-dimensional (2D) chiral heterometallic Zn(II)-Cd(II) metal-organic framework (MOF), {[(CdI2(ZnL)2·DMF}n (1, H2L = (R,R)-N,N'-bis(3-(4-pyridyl)salicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide), was synthesized with predesigned chiral metallosalen ZnL and CdI2 via solvothermal reaction. MOF 1 crystallizes in the orthorhombic chiral space group P21212 and exhibits a 2D chiral framework consisting of right (P) handed 21 helices. Topological analysis indicates that the 2D structure of 1 could be simplified as a uninodal sql topology. The luminescence experiment revealed that MOF 1 showed intense circularly polarized luminescence (CPL), suggesting that it can be a potential CPL material.