The unprecedented
one-dimensional (1-D) coordination polymer of crown fused zinc phthalocyanine
(P-CfZnPc) with an octahedral crystal structure
and with intermolecular packing that has superior multichannel sensor
ability for Be2+ ion recognition was prepared and characterized
by single-crystal X–ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and a wide
range of spectroscopic and voltammetric methods. An exceptional feature
of the crystal structure of P-CfZnPc is
that each zinc ion in the phthalocyanine (Pc) polymer is coordinated
by the four isoindole nitrogen atoms and an outer oxygen atom of the
Pc molecule. This structure is the first example of an octahedral
arrangement in a 1-D polymeric chain for zinc phthalocyanines (ZnPcs)
and zinc porphyrins (ZnPs) reached without the presence of a coordinating
solvent, which was confirmed by XRD analysis. Interestingly, this
(1-D) coordination polymer preserves its conformation in THF (tetrahydrofuran)
solution, thereby effectively preventing aggregation. This result
was confirmed by the particle size of the molecule (125 nm) using
dynamic light scattering (DLS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time
of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra as well as UV–vis spectroscopy.
The sensor has long-term stability (more than 3 months in solution),
a very low response time (less than 1 s), and nonaggregating ability,
facilitating the accurate determination of ultra-trace amounts of
Be2+ (lower than 1 ppb), which is extremely important in
terms of human health and environmental protection. The sensor can
highly selectively and sensitively bind Be2+ among Li+, Na+, K+, Cs+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+, Al3+, Co2+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ ions via Be2+-induced J aggregation of Pc molecules.
Such a binding leads to not only a significant decrease in Pc absorption
(677 nm) as well as the creation of new absorption (720 nm) but also
fluorescence emission quenching (690 nm). Furthermore, the sensor
displayed highly selective voltammetric recognition for Be2+ following J aggregation/disaggregation in the second reduction process.
The binding mechanism of the sensor and Be2+ ion was also
explained on the basis of TD-DFT calculations.