Encapsulating Pyrene in a Metal–Organic Zeolite for Optical Sensing of Molecular Oxygen

Pyrene is a good oxygen-sensitive probe with high fluorescence quantum yield, suitable sensitivity, and high photostability when dispersed in gas-permeable organic polymers, but it is a carcinogen and environmental pollutant and tends to aggregate and/or evaporate at high temperature/low pressure. In this work, we show that pyrene can be easily and firmly encapsulated in a metal–organic zeolite SOD-[Zn(mim) 2 ] (Hmim = 2-methylimidazole, MAF-4 or ZIF-8) via an in situ loading strategy, giving fluorescence O 2 -sensing materials not only with fast response, high photostability, and tunable sensitivity but also free of pyrene aggregation/leak and interference by other quenchers. Moreover, these host–guest inclusion crystals can be easily fabricated as thin film sensors and aerodynamic coatings.