A selective luminescent sensor was fabricated by simply mixing a Tb(iii)-based MOF with polymethylmetahacrylate enabling to detect sub-ppb range of nitroaromatic vapours.

Transparent polymeric matrices serve as efficient platforms to immobilize Tb(BTC) crystals whose fluorescence is quenched in the presence of NO ₂ .

A novel technique for the creation of metal-organic framework (MOF) films based on soft-imprinting and their use as gas sensors was developed. The microporous MOF material [Zn₂(bpdc)₂(bpee)] (bpdc = 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylate; bpee = 1,2-bipyridylethene) was synthesized solvothermally and activated by removing the occluded solvent molecules from its inner channels. MOF particles were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and fluorescence spectroscopy, showing high crystallinity and intense photoluminescence. Scanning electron microscope images revealed that MOF crystals were mainly in the form of microneedles with a high surface-to-volume ratio, which together with the high porosity of the material enhances its interaction with gas molecules. MOF crystals were soft-imprinted into cellulose acetate (CA) films on quartz at different pressures. Atomic force microscope images of soft-imprinted films showed that MOF crystals were partially embedded into the CA. With this procedure, mechanically stable films were created, with crystals protruding from the CA surface and therefore available for incoming gas molecules. The sensing properties of the films were assessed by exposing them to saturated atmospheres of 2,4-dinitrotoluene, which resulted in a substantial quenching of the fluorescence after few seconds. The soft-imprinted MOF films on CA/quartz exhibit good sensing capabilities for the detection of nitroaromatics, which was attributed to the MOF sensitivity and to the novel and more efficient film processing method based on soft-imprinting.

The introduction of a carboxylate function into porphyrins allows a variety of modifications, including coordination and conjugation, which are central to enhance the efficiency of macrocycles in photonic materials and biological applications. Herein, a synthetic strategy to obtain 5-(4′-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-tris(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin and its pyrrolidine-fused chlorin derivative was developed by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a carbomethoxyphenyl substituted porphyrin with an azomethine ylide, followed by hydrolysis under thermal acidic conditions. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of the carbomethoxyphenyl porphyrin with N-methyl nitrone was also performed to give an isomeric mixture of isoxazolidine-fused chlorins, revealing lower selectivity and lower yields; in addition, retrocycloaddition of the isoxazolidine-fused chlorins was observed under the hydrolysis conditions. The resulting carboxyphenyl macrocycles were characterized using ¹H and ¹⁹F NMR, ESI-MS and SC-XRD for 5-(4′-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-tris(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin. In order to study the influence of coordination to a metal ion on the electronic properties of carboxyphenyl substituted porphyrins, a series of metal complexes of 5-(4′-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-tris(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin and its pyrrolidine-fused chlorin derivative were synthesized by microwave-mediated metallation with Fe(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) salts. EPR spectroscopy was particularly relevant to the characterization of the Cu(II) complexes of both macrocycles and to study the coordination chemistry of these ligands with Cu(II) ions.

Indomethacin is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with a strong selective inhibitor activity towards cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme that is highly overexpressed in various tumour cells, being involved in tumourigenesis. Concomitantly, porphyrins have gained much attention as promising photosensitizers (PSs) for the non-invasive photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer. Herein, we report the design, and determine the singlet oxygen generation capacity and in vitro cellular toxicity of porphyrin– and chlorin–indomethacin conjugates (P2-Ind and C2-Ind). Both the conjugates were obtained in high yields and were characterized by ¹H, ¹⁹F and ¹³C NMR as well as by high resolution mass spectrometry. The singlet oxygen generation properties were assessed by the 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran singlet oxygen trap method, which showed that C2 and C2-Ind are the best singlet oxygen photosensitizers. In addition, it was found that the presence of indomethacin did not influence the singlet oxygen generation of porphyrin or chlorin. Cytotoxicity studies of the conjugate in human HEp2 cells revealed that the porphyrin– and chlorin–indomethacin conjugates have similar dark cytotoxicities, while chlorin C2 was shown to be the most phototoxic. Despite having lower cellular uptake than C2-Ind after 24 hours, chlorin C2 had a broad localization in HEp2 cells while the chlorin–indomethacin conjugate C2-Ind could be detected in the form of small aggregates. DFT calculations were performed to shed light on the reaction energy involved in the formation of the indomethacin conjugates and to compare the relative stability of selected isomers in solution. Moreover, the calculated energy of their first excited triplet state structures confirmed their use as suitable photosensitizers to generate singlet oxygen for PDT.