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Updated: Feb 21, 2026

Synthesis of Single-Crystalline Core-Shell Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: February 10, 2023
Core-Shell Structures Arise Naturally During Ligand Exchange in Metal-Organic Frameworks
Jake A Boissonnault1, Antek G Wong-Foy1, Adam J Matzger1
1Department of Chemistry and ‡Macromolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of Michigan , 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States.
Abstract:
Examination of the microstructure of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) after postsynthetic exchange (PSE) reveals that the exchanged ligand is concentrated at the edges of the crystal and decreases in concentration with crystal depth, resulting in a core-shell arrangement. Diffusion studies of the carboxylate ligand into MOF-5 indicate that diffusion is limiting to the exchange process and may ultimately be responsible for the observed core-shell structure. Examination of PSE in UMCM-8 and single crystals of UiO-66 shows a similar trend, illustrating the applicability of PSE as a method for the creation of core-shell MOFs.
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