Interfacial synthesis of hollow metal-organic framework capsules demonstrating selective permeability

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of crystalline materials that consist of metal ions and organic ligands linked together by coordination bonds. Because of their porosity and the possibility of combining large surface areas with pore characteristics that can be tailored, these solids show great promise for a wide range of applications. Although most applications currently under investigation are based on powdered solids, developing synthetic methods to prepare defect-free MOF layers will also enable applications based on selective permeation. Here, we demonstrate how the intrinsically hybrid nature of MOFs enables the self-completing growth of thin MOF layers. Moreover, these layers can be shaped as hollow capsules that demonstrate selective permeability directly related to the micropore size of the MOF crystallites forming the capsule wall. Such capsules effectively entrap guest species, and, in the future, could be applied in the development of selective microreactors containing molecular catalysts.