Thiazole-Based Coordination Polymers: Synthesis and Applications in CO2 Storage and Luminescent Ion Sensing

Thiazoles are intriguing heterocycles for the costruction of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and coordination polymers (CPs) of assorted dimensionality. Thiazoled and related thiazolium salts are found in many natural products, like the essential vitamin B1, several compounds exhibit fluorescence properties (benzothiazoles are present in luciferines, bioluminescent substance that are produced by fireflies) and have been used for the preparation of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and semiconductor materials. The presence of polarized C-N or C-S bonds and of multiple basic sites of both hard (N) and soft (S) nature for coordination to metal ions are suitable for exploitation in the fields of carbon dioxide storage and luminescent ion sensing, respectively. 1D and 2D Cu(II)/Zn(II) CPs featuring thiazole-based carboxylic acids as organic building blocks have been prepared and fully characterized in the solid state. Their performance as CO2 storage materials and as luminescent sensors for Hg(II) in aqueous solutions have been scrutinized. The results will be discussed in details.