A Novel 2D Copper–Organic Framework for Catalyzing CO2 Chemical Fixation and Luminescence Sensing

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) show promising applications in catalysis and luminescent sensors due to their unique organic–inorganic porous structure. Herein, a novel copper MOF (Cu-MOF) is architected by the assembly of an imidazole and carboxylic acid functionalized flexible ligand (HIM) with copper ions under hydrothermal conditions. The Lewis acid and base built-in structure of HIM facilitate the architecting of a 2D porous 3-c network with {43} topology during the self-assembled coordination. the Cu-MOF can be used to catalyze the reaction of CO2 with epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates with 12 examples of substrate scope in 70–98% yields under mild conditions. The catalyst shows recycling ability and achieves the conversion of cyclic carbonate beyond 90% after 5 cycles. In addition, the Cu-MOF can be developed as a turn-on Fe3+-selective luminescent sensor with a detection limit of 0.53 μM. Moreover, the sensor can selectively recognize MnO4– and Cr2O72– by emission quenching with detection limits of 0.57 and 0.23 μM, respectively. Besides, the sensor shows recycling ability in sensing and can be regenerated and reused 5 times. Therefore, the Cu-MOF exhibits versatility and offers promising applications in catalysis and luminescent sensors.