A Zn2+/ UV-inspired molecular logic function based on an organic/inorganic hybrid materials

In this paper, one simple binaphthyl-bridged salicylidene Schiff base (2,2´-bis(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)-1,1´-binaphthyl (BCHB)) was successfully modified into the channel of mesoporous molecular sieve SBA-15. Detailed characterizations demonstrated that the inner channel of SBA-15 was firstly functionalized with 3-aminapropyltriethoxysilane, then the functional molecule BCHB was anchored through the hydrogen bond assembly. During these processes the hexagonally ordered mesoporous structure of SBA-15 has not been destroyed. Furthermore, the organic/inorganic hybrid material exhibits selectively recognition for Zn²⁺ upon other metal ions. Moreover, stimulated by the inputs of Zn²⁺ and UV irradiation, an INHIBIT logic gate can also be performed with fluorescence emission as the output.