Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Improved Moisture Resistance
Published on: September 5, 2018
Selective surface and near-surface modification of a noncatenated, catalytically active metal-organic framework
Abraham M Shultz1, Omar K Farha, Debashis Adhikari
1Department of Chemistry and Institute for Catalysis in Energy Processes, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
Abstract:
From a combination of chiral Mn(salen) struts and the tetratopic ligand tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene, a large-pore, noncatenated metal-organic framework (MOF) material, MnSO-MOF, has been synthesized. Following solvent exchange with hydrophobic CHCl(3), treatment of MnSO-MOF with aqueous H(2)O(2) allowed for the selective demetalation of Mn(salen) struts at and near the surface of the crystals. The resulting crystals displayed greatly enhanced size-selective catalysis compared to the as-synthesized material. Handling of the mechanically fragile MnSO-MOF crystals was greatly facilitated by activation with supercritical CO(2).
