Selective sorption of oxygen and nitrous oxide by an electron donor-incorporated flexible coordination network

Incorporating strong electron donor functionality into flexible coordination networks is intriguing for sorption applications due to a built-in mechanism for electron-withdrawing guests. Here we report a 2D flexible porous coordination network, [Ni₂(4,4'-bipyridine)(VTTF)₂]n(1) (where H₂VTTF = 2,2'-[1,2-bis(4-benzoic acid)-1,2ethanediylidene]bis-1,3-benzodithiole), which exhibits large structural deformation from the as-synthesized or open phase (1α) into the closed phase (1β) after guest removal, as demonstrated by X-ray and electron diffraction. Interestingly, upon exposure to electron-withdrawing species, 1β reversibly undergoes guest accommodation transitions; 1α⊃O₂ (90 K) and 1α⊃N₂O (185 K). Moreover, the 1β phase showed exclusive O₂ sorption over other gases (N₂, Ar, and CO) at 120 K. The phase transformations between the 1α and 1β phases under these gases were carefully investigated by in-situ X-ray diffraction, in-situ spectroscopic studies, and DFT calculations, validating that the unusual sorption was attributed to the combination of flexible frameworks and VTTF (electron-donor) that induces strong interactions with electron-withdrawing species.