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Updated: Jan 12, 2026
Development of Heterogeneous Enantioselective Catalysts using Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks MOFs
Published on: January 17, 2020
Coordination-Induced Amplification of Birefringence and Nonlinear Optical Response in a Chiral Metal-Organic
Xinchao Wang1, Hongyuan Sha1, Zhaoxing Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Crystalline materials exhibiting programmable optical anisotropy are of great interest for advanced photonic applications but remain challenging. In this study, we introduce a coordination-driven approach that significantly enhances optical anisotropy by transforming a loosely packed molecular crystal (crystal-1) into a chiral metal-organic framework (MOF) (crystal-2). This structural transformation leads to a more than 20-fold increase in birefringence (Δn = 0.226 at 546 nm) and activates a measurable second-harmonic generation (SHG) activity. First-principles calculations suggest that the observed optical enhancement is driven by three main factors: coordination-driven enhancement of asymmetry, alignment of the π-conjugated framework, and anisotropic electron distribution. These findings highlight the potential of coordination polymerization as a versatile approach for designing hybrid optical materials with tailored anisotropy, providing a foundation for the development of MOF-based photonic devices.
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