Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026
05:26
Synthesis of Single-Crystalline Core-Shell Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: February 10, 2023
Crystal Engineering of Intrinsic Dynamicity in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Adaptive Multicomponent Catalysis
Xu Jia1, Chongting Ren1, Shengyun Hu1
1Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|May 14, 2026
Summary
This study introduces intrinsically dynamic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for complex catalysis. These dynamic MOFs overcome pore limitations, enabling efficient multicomponent reactions through adaptive framework behavior.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer confined catalytic environments.
- Steric confinement in MOFs limits complex multicomponent reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Design intrinsically dynamic MOFs to overcome steric limitations.
- Develop MOFs that balance accessibility, selectivity, and structural integrity for complex transformations.
Main Methods:
- Crystallography-guided design and synthesis of a homologous Zn-MOF series.
- Mechanistic studies including host-guest binding, DFT, and AIMD.
- Ligand-flexibility tuning and dimensionality control.
Main Results:
- Identified intrinsically dynamic, layer-pillared Zn-Bpe as an optimal catalyst.
- Revealed an adaptive catalytic mechanism driven by guest-induced framework dynamics.
- Demonstrated efficient and selective multicomponent couplings, including a tandem domino Petasis reaction.
Conclusions:
- Intrinsic dynamicity is a viable design principle for MOF catalysis.
- Adaptive framework dynamics enhance substrate diffusion and catalytic activity.
- Dynamic MOFs enable complex transformations with broad substrate tolerance.
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