Synthesis of pillar-layered metal-organic frameworks with variable backbones through sequence control

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable properties via structural modifications.
• Predictable design and synthesis of complex MOF structures remain a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for controlling the 3D topology of pillar-layered MOFs.
• To synthesize sequence-controlled MOFs (SC-MOFs) with predictable structures and enhanced functionalities.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a series of isomeric pillar-layered MOFs.
• Controlled 3D topology by altering layer stacking.
• Utilized a Python script to predict potential SC-MOF network compositions.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated control over MOF backbone structure and spatial arrangement of pillars.
• Achieved partitioning of pore space into distinct cage sequences.
• SC-MOFs exhibited ultrahigh benzene capture capacities and high methane storage performance.

Conclusions:

• Established construction principles for sequence-controlled MOFs.
• Predicted nearly 2,000 possible SC-networks with sophisticated atomic-level composition sequences.
• SC-MOFs offer a promising platform for gas capture and storage applications.