Postsynthetic Inner-Surface Functionalization of the Highly Stable Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Framework DUT-67

A postsynthetic functionalization approach was used to tailor the hydrophobicity of DUT-67, a metal-organic framework (MOF) consisting of 8-connected Zr6O6(OH)2 clusters and 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate as the ligand, using postsynthetic exchange of the modulator by fluorinated monocarboxylates. Water adsorption isotherms demonstrated that, by the incorporation of such hydrophobic molecules, the hydrophobicity of the inner surface of the network can be tuned. Furthermore, tolerance of the material toward the removal of adsorbed water can be significantly enhanced compared to the parent DUT-67 MOF.