Carbon nanodots in ZIF-8: synthesis, tunable luminescence and temperature sensing

A new hybrid material, CNDs@ZIF-8, has been synthesized by the calcination of ZIF-8 nanocrystals. Carbon nanodots (CNDs) are produced from the decomposition of organic ligands such as 2-methylimidazole, which are embedded in the interrupted cavities in the framework during calcination. The resultant CNDs@ZIF-8 composites not only possess the intact structure of ZIF-8, but also have slightly enhanced adsorption ability and higher BET surface area compared to ZIF-8. Moreover, hybrid material CNDs@ZIF-8 exhibit tunable luminescence resulting from the inherent blue emission of ZIF-8 and the yellow emission of CNDs with different intensities controlled by the calcination time. The CNDs@ZIF-8 composites can also be used as temperature sensors. This work paves a feasible way for the development of CNDs@MOF materials with both luminescence and adsorption properties.