Zn/Mn-MOFs with `S-shaped' packing modes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Coordination Chemistry
• Crystallography

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are advanced porous materials with tunable structures and properties.
• MOFs are synthesized by linking metal ions or clusters with organic ligands.
• Benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (BTC) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) are common building blocks in MOF synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel MOFs with specific network topologies.
• To investigate the structural diversity achievable with BTC and phen ligands.
• To explore the coordination behavior of zinc and manganese ions with these ligands.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal synthesis was employed to combine metal ions (Zn(II) and Mn(II)) with BTC and phen ligands.
• Single-crystal X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystal structures of the synthesized MOFs.
• Topological analysis was performed to classify the network structures.

Main Results:

• Two novel MOFs, Zn-MOF and Mn-MOF, were successfully synthesized.
• Zn-MOF forms a 2D network with a 6(3) net topology, featuring binuclear Zn2 clusters and interdigitating phen ligands.
• Mn-MOF forms a 3D network with a rutile net topology, incorporating Mn4 clusters and exhibiting an 'S-shaped' packing of phen ligands.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates the successful synthesis of two novel MOFs with distinct dimensionalities and network topologies.
• The choice of metal ion and ligand combination allows for control over the resulting framework structure.
• The findings contribute to the understanding of MOF structural diversity and synthesis strategies.