With the aid of a rotational C3-symmetric tricarboxytriphenylamine based ligand, a new Cd-MOF was synthesized and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques as well as by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The structural investigation of the crystalline Cd-MOF complex revealed the existence of unique three symmetry independent coordination environments of Cd(ii) ions with common octahedral and pentagonal bipyramidal geometries. Small cavities with dimensions 6.40 Å × 6.41 Å were present in the crystal system. The tunable fluorescence property of the complex was explored to detect selectively polynitrophenol based explosive materials in the presence of other nitro explosives such as RDX, HMX, TNT and so on. Thermogravimetric analysis and powder X-ray diffraction data support the high thermal stability and crystallinity of the complex.