Hierarchically Ordered Two-Dimensional Coordination Polymers Assembled from Redox-Active Dimolybdenum Clusters.

Coordination polymers (CPs) supporting tunable through-framework conduction and responsive properties are of significant interest for enabling a new generation of active devices. However, such architectures are rare. We report a redox-active CP composed of two-dimensional (2D) lattices of coordinatively bonded Mo2(INA)4 clusters (INA = isonicotinate). The 2D lattices are commensurately stacked and their ordering topology can be synthetically tuned. The material has a hierarchical pore structure (pore sizes distributed between 7 and 33 Å) and exhibits unique CO2 adsorption (nominally Type VI) for an isotherm collected at 195 K. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetry and electrokinetic analyses identify a quasi-reversible feature at E1/2 = -1.275 V versus ferrocene/ferrocenium that can be ascribed to the [Mo2(INA)4]0/-1 redox couple, with an associated standard heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant ks = 1.49 s-1. The tunable structure, porosity, and redox activity of our material may render it a promising platform for CPs with responsive properties.

Structural and electronic switching of a single crystal 2D metal-organic framework prepared by chemical vapor deposition.

The incorporation of metal-organic frameworks into advanced devices remains a desirable goal, but progress is hindered by difficulties in preparing large crystalline metal-organic framework films with suitable electronic performance. We demonstrate the direct growth of large-area, high quality, and phase pure single metal-organic framework crystals through chemical vapor deposition of a dimolybdenum paddlewheel precursor, Mo2(INA)4. These exceptionally uniform, high quality crystals cover areas up to 8600 µm2 and can be grown down to thicknesses of 30 nm. Moreover, scanning tunneling microscopy indicates that the Mo2(INA)4 clusters assemble into a two-dimensional, single-layer framework. Devices are readily fabricated from single vapor-phase grown crystals and exhibit reversible 8-fold changes in conductivity upon illumination at modest powers. Moreover, we identify vapor-induced single crystal transitions that are reversible and responsible for 30-fold changes in conductivity of the metal-organic framework as monitored by in situ device measurements. Gas-phase methods, including chemical vapor deposition, show broader promise for the preparation of high-quality molecular frameworks, and may enable their integration into devices, including detectors and actuators.

Molecular chains of coordinated dimolybdenum isonicotinate paddlewheel clusters.

A growing focus on the use of coordination polymers for active device applications motivates the search for candidate materials with integrated and optimized charge transport modes. We show herein the synthesis of a linear coordination polymer comprised of Mo2(INA)4 (INA = isonicotinate) metal-organic clusters. Single-crystal X-ray structure determination shows that this cluster crystallizes into one-dimensional molecular chains, whose INA-linked Mo2 cores engage in alternate axial and equatorial binding motifs along the chain axis. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra, absorption spectra, and density functional theory calculations show that the aforementioned linear coordination environment significantly modifies the electronic structure of the clusters. This work expands the synthetic foundation for assembly of coordination polymers with tailorable dimensionalities and charge transport properties.