Integrated Photoresponsive Alkaline Earth Metal Coordination Networks: Synthesis, Topology, Photochromism and Photoluminescence Investigation

Photoresponsive materials are a key part of the age of smart technology that have potential in a broad range of applications. Coordination networks (CNs) are widely used due to their designability and stability. In this work, three novel alkaline earth metal coordination networks (AEM-CNs): [Mg(CMNDI)(H2 O)2 ], [Ca(CMNDI)(H2 O)2 ]⋅H2 O, and [Sr(CMNDI)(H2 O)(DMF)] with fsl, cds, and scn topology nets were synthetized via N,N'-bis(carboxymethyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalenediimide (H2 CMNDI); the scn net is not found in the Reticular Chemistry Structure Resource or ToposPro. The reusable and sensitive photochromic properties of the three CNs enable them to be used as secret inks or ultraviolet detectors. In addition, the CNs also exhibited reusable photoluminescent turn-off toward the drug molecules, balsalazide disodium (Bal.) and colchicine (Col.), with good limits of detection of 0.16 and 0.70 μM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of a fluorescence sensor for Bal. Thus, the AEM-CNs provide a design idea for integrated photoresponsive materials that could be further improved in the near future by further study.