Sequential Ligand Exchange of Coordination Polymers Hybridized with in Situ Grown and Aligned Au Nanowires for Rapid and Selective Gas Sensing

Combining polymeric materials and conductive one-dimensional metal nanostructures is able to achieve enhanced chemical and electrical properties, but the control over their morphology and spatial arrangement remains a big challenge. Herein, by replacing benzenedicarboxylate (BDC) in ZnBDC nanoplates with oleylamine (OAM) in the presence of HAuCl ₄ , Zn-OAM nanobelts with a highly ordered laminar structure were obtained, on which ultrathin Au nanowires (Au NWs) were deposited and aligned along the long axes of the nanobelts. The resulting Zn-OAM/Au NW hybrid further underwent an OAM-to-2-methylimidazole ligand exchange, resulting in the formation of porous nanobelts composed of ZIF-8 nanocrystals interwound with aligned Au NWs. Due to the synergistic effect between the polymeric and metallic structures, the Zn-OAM/Au NW hybrid nanobelts and ZIF-8/Au NW porous nanobelts demonstrated fast and selective gas sensing at ambient conditions, in sharp contrast to the nonresponsive Au NWs or Zn-based polymers alone.