Defect Engineering into Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Rapid and Sequential Installation of Functionalities.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry

Background:

• Postsynthetic treatments are key for functionalizing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
• Defects in MOFs can influence their reactivity and properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid and practical postsynthetic ligand exchange (PSE) strategy for MOFs.
• To investigate the role of defects in MOF ligand exchange rates.
• To enable the introduction of new functionalities into MOFs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized defect-controlled metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
• Implemented a postsynthetic ligand exchange (PSE) strategy.
• Analyzed the impact of defect concentration on exchange rates.

Main Results:

• Achieved a rapid and almost quantitative ligand exchange using highly defective MOFs.
• Demonstrated that increased defect sites enhance ligand exchange rates.
• Successfully introduced bulky and catalytically relevant moieties into MOFs.

Conclusions:

• The developed PSE strategy offers a straightforward route for MOF functionalization.
• Mechanistic insights revealed possibilities for sequential ligand exchange.
• Enabled the creation of multifunctional MOFs with precise control over ligand ratios.