In virtue of the dual-ligand strategy, a novel Zn(II)organic coordination polymer [Zn(tipb)(bpda) 0.5 •(OH)] n (1) (tipb = 1,3,5-tris(p-imidazolylphenyl)benzene, H 2 bpda = 4,4′biphenyldicarboxylic acid) has been successfully constructed with a N-donor tridentate ligand and an O-containing linear linker. In compound 1, a double-layer network is fabricated wherein adjacent Zn-tipb layers are pillared by bpda 2− . Mutual interpenetration of the parallel layers further generates a 3D cationic supramolecular architecture. Interestingly, compound 1 displays a high sensitivity for the recognition of iron(III) ion with the calculated K sv value being 1.06 × 10 4 M −1 . In addition, the competitive detection experiment shows that the detection of Fe 3+ could not be affected by any other interfering cations, suggesting the high selectivity of 1 toward the sensing of targeted species. Moreover, compound 1 can effectively capture anionic dye pollutants such as methyl orange and Congo red through the process of ion exchange, indicating the great possibility of 1 as a promising absorbent for the treatment of dye-wastewater.