Implementing Mesoporosity in Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks through Clip-Off Chemistry in Heterometallic Iron-Zinc ZIF-8.

Bond breaking has emerged as a new tool to postsynthetically modify the pore structure in metal-organic frameworks since it allows us to obtain pore environments in structures that are inaccessible by other techniques. Here, we extend the concept of clip-off chemistry to archetypical ZIF-8, taking advantage of the different stabilities of the bonds between imidazolate and Zn and Fe metal atoms in heterometallic Fe-Zn-ZIF-8. We demonstrate that Fe centers can be removed selectively without affecting the backbone of the structure that is supported by the Zn atoms. This allows us to create mesopores within the highly stable ZIF-8 structure. The strategy presented, combined with control of the amount of iron centers incorporated into the structure, permits porosity engineering of ZIF materials and opens a new avenue for designing novel hierarchical porous frameworks.

Perylene-Based Coordination Polymers: Synthesis, Fluorescent J-Aggregates, and Electrochemical Properties.

The incorporation of electroactive organic building blocks into coordination polymers (CPs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offers a promising approach for adding electronic functionalities such as redox activity, electrical conductivity, and luminescence to these materials. The incorporation of perylene moieties into CPs is, in particular, of great interest due to its potential to introduce both luminescence and redox properties. Herein, we present an innovative synthesis method for producing a family of highly crystalline and stable coordination polymers based on perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylate (PTC) and various transition metals (TMs = Co, Ni, and Zn) with an isostructural framework. The crystal structure of the PTC-TM CPs, obtained through powder X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement, provides valuable insights into the composition and organization of the building blocks within the CP. The perylene moieties are arranged in a herringbone pattern, with short distances between adjacent ligands, which contributes to the dense and highly organized framework of the material. The photophysical properties of PTC-Zn were thoroughly studied, revealing the presence of J-aggregation-based and monomer-like emission bands. These bands were experimentally identified, and their behavior was further understood through the use of quantum-chemical calculations. Solid-state cyclic voltammetry experiments on PTC-TMs showed that the perylene redox properties are maintained within the CP framework. This study presents a simple and effective approach for synthesizing highly stable and crystalline perylene-based CPs with tunable optical and electrochemical properties in the solid state.

Semiconductor Porous Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks Based on Tetrathiafulvalene Derivatives.

Herein, we report on the use of tetrathiavulvalene-tetrabenzoic acid, H4TTFTB, to engender semiconductivity in porous hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs). By tuning the synthetic conditions, three different polymorphs have been obtained, denoted MUV-20a, MUV-20b, and MUV-21, all of them presenting open structures (22, 15, and 27%, respectively) and suitable TTF stacking for efficient orbital overlap. Whereas MUV-21 collapses during the activation process, MUV-20a and MUV-20b offer high stability evacuation, with a CO2 sorption capacity of 1.91 and 1.71 mmol g-1, respectively, at 10 °C and 6 bar. Interestingly, both MUV-20a and MUV-20b present a zwitterionic character with a positively charged TTF core and a negatively charged carboxylate group. First-principles calculations predict the emergence of remarkable charge transport by means of a through-space hopping mechanism fostered by an efficient TTF π-π stacking and the spontaneous formation of persistent charge carriers in the form of radical TTF•+ units. Transport measurements confirm the efficient charge transport in zwitterionic MUV-20a and MUV-20b with no need for postsynthetic treatment (e.g., electrochemical oxidation or doping), demonstrating the semiconductor nature of these HOFs with record experimental conductivities of 6.07 × 10-7 (MUV-20a) and 1.35 × 10-6 S cm-1 (MUV-20b).

Multivariate sodalite zeolitic imidazolate frameworks: a direct solvent-free synthesis.

Different mixed-ligand Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs) with sodalite topology, i.e. isoreticular to ZIF-8, unachievable by conventional synthetic routes, have been prepared using a solvent-free methodology. In particular, the versatility of this method is demonstrated with three different metal centres (Zn, Co and Fe) and binary combinations of three different ligands (2-methylimidazole, 2-ethylimidazole and 2-methylbenzimidazole). One combination of ligands, 2-ethylimidazole and 2-methylbenzimidazole, results in the formation of SOD frameworks for the three metal centres despite this topology not being obtained for the individual ligands. Theoretical calculations confirm that this topology is the lowest in energy upon ligand mixing.