Assessing the purity of metal-organic frameworks using photoluminescence: MOF-5, ZnO quantum dots, and framework decomposition

Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was used to characterize nanoscale ZnO impurities, amine-donor charge-transfer exciplexes, and framework decomposition in samples of MOF-5 prepared by various methods. The results demonstrated the application of PL as a tool for characterizing MOF purity possesses advantages such as simplicity, speed, and sensitivity over currently employed powder XRD MOF characterization methods.