Phenylphosphonic acid corroles: corroles that link and bind.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Corroles are macrocyclic compounds with unique electronic and photophysical properties.
• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer high surface area and tunable porosity for various applications.
• Selective gas detection is crucial for environmental monitoring and industrial safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize A2B-corrole phosphonic acids for covalent linkage to MOFs.
• To develop a novel porous material for selective carbon monoxide (CO) detection.
• To investigate the CO binding and sensing capabilities of cobalt-doped corrole-MOF composites.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of A2B-corrole phosphonic acids.
• Covalent incorporation of corroles into PCN-222 MOF via phosphonic acid functionalization.
• Cobalt insertion into the corrole macrocycle.
• Gas adsorption and selective detection experiments using CO, CO2, N2, and O2.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of two A2B-corrole phosphonic acids.
• Covalent attachment of corroles to Zr6 clusters in PCN-222 MOF.
• Cobalt-doped corrole-MOF composites exhibited selective CO binding.
• Demonstrated excellent selectivity for CO detection over CO2, N2, and O2.

Conclusions:

• The developed corrole-MOF materials show promise for selective CO sensing applications.
• Covalent functionalization provides a robust method for integrating functional molecules into MOFs.
• The cobalt-corrole centers within the MOF are key to the selective CO recognition mechanism.