Multiterpyridyl Ligand/Cadmium(II) Coordination Polymer Nanosheets for Recoverable Luminescent Sensors

A cadmium(II) coordination polymer nanosheet (Cd-nanosheet) has been successfully constructed by a liquid–liquid interface-assisted method based on the coordination reaction between 1,3,5-tri(4-(2,2’:6′,2″-terpyridyl)phenyl)benzene and cadmium(II) nitrate. The Cd-nanosheet was characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, XPS, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The expected 2D lamellar structure was also confirmed by various microscopic techniques. The Cd-nanosheet is insoluble in aqueous and organic solvents. Due to its excellent fluorescence performance, we focus on its application in the detection of organic small molecules and metal ions. The luminescence quenching constant Ksv of the Cd-nanosheet for Cu2+ ions and nitrobenzene is 4.73 × 104 and 2.582 × 103 M–1, respectively. The results demonstrate that Cd-nanosheets can serve as detection sensors with high selectivity and sensitivity to detect nitrobenzene and Cu2+ ions.