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Updated: Feb 20, 2026
08:25
Development of Heterogeneous Enantioselective Catalysts using Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks MOFs
Published on: January 17, 2020
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Helical Chiral Covalent Organic Frameworks Enable Enantioselective Surface Wetting
Shiguo Fu1, Xiaofeng Zhang1, Jinqiao Dong1
1State Key Laboratory of Synergistic Chem-Bio Synthesis, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|February 18, 2026
Summary
Crystalline chiral covalent organic frameworks (CCOFs) enable highly enantioselective surface wetting for chiral recognition. These novel helical materials significantly enhance wettability differences, offering a robust platform for chiral sensing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Chiral Chemistry
Background:
- Enantioselective surface wetting is crucial for chiral recognition but is hindered by weak interactions and small contact angle shifts in disordered materials.
- Crystalline chiral covalent organic frameworks (CCOFs) offer a potential solution due to their rigid, ordered structures facilitating confined stereoselective interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel helical 3D CCOFs for enhanced enantioselective wetting.
- To investigate the relationship between CCOF architecture and enantioselective wetting performance.
- To establish a robust platform for chiral sensing and interface engineering.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of two helical 3D CCOFs (35-2F and 35-4F) via condensation reactions.
- Characterization of CCOF morphology, including helical rod-like structures and interpenetrating diamond networks.
- Fabrication of CCOF surfaces and measurement of contact angle differences for various chiral analytes.
Main Results:
- Synthesized fluorinated CCOFs exhibited distinct right-handed and left-handed helical morphologies.
- Helical CCOFs demonstrated remarkable enantioselective wetting behavior, achieving contact angle differences up to 26.9° for sugars and amino acid derivatives.
- Performance significantly surpassed nonhelical counterparts and amorphous systems, attributed to helical architecture and confined pore geometry.
Conclusions:
- Helical CCOFs provide a powerful platform for achieving significantly enhanced enantioselective wetting.
- The ordered, periodic, and confined chiral environments within CCOFs promote strong and selective chiral interactions.
- This study pioneers the use of crystalline porous materials for advanced chiral sensing and interface engineering.
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