Molecular engineering of noncoordinating backbones in Zr-MOFs for ultrasensitive piezofluorochromism-based high pressure sensing.

UiO-67-PA shows ultrasensitive piezofluorochromism, producing a 190 nanometers per gigapascal bathochromic shift below 0.36 gigapascals under pressure in zirconium-based MOFs.

• Why it matters: Pressure-responsive luminescence in MOFs is promising, but controlling emission changes precisely under pressure remains difficult.
• What they did: Four isostructural UiO-67 derivatives were synthesized by tuning emissive polarity with noncoordinating phenyl substituents, then their pressure-dependent spectral shifts were measured.
• The result: The strongest response in UiO-67-PA is linked to pressure-driven aromatic-ring rotation that enhances conjugation and polarity-driven electronic redistribution that amplifies orbital overlap.

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