Issue 8, 2015

Isolation of a structural intermediate during switching of degree of interpenetration in a metal–organic framework

Abstract

A known pillared layered metal–organic framework [Co2(ndc)2(bpy)] is shown to undergo a change in degree of interpenetration from a highly porous doubly-interpenetrated framework (2fa) to a less porous triply-interpenetrated framework (3fa). The transformation involves an intermediate empty doubly-interpenetrated phase (2fa′) which has been isolated for the first time for this kind of phenomenon by altering the conditions of activation of the as-synthesized material. Interestingly, all the transformations occur in single-crystal to single-crystal fashion. Changes in degree of interpenetration have not been explored much to date and their implications with regard to the porosity of MOFs still remain largely unknown. The present study not only provides a better understanding of such dramatic structural changes in MOF materials, but also describes an original way of controlling interpenetration by carefully optimizing the temperature of activation. In addition to studying the structural mechanism of conversion from 2fa to 3fa, sorption analysis has been carried out on both the intermediate (2fa′) and the triply-interpenetrated (3fa) forms to further explain the effect that switching of interpenetration mode has on the porosity of the MOF material.

Graphical abstract: Isolation of a structural intermediate during switching of degree of interpenetration in a metal–organic framework

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
18 May 2015
Accepted
11 Jun 2015
First published
11 Jun 2015
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2015,6, 4986-4992

Author version available

Isolation of a structural intermediate during switching of degree of interpenetration in a metal–organic framework

H. Aggarwal, R. K. Das, P. M. Bhatt and L. J. Barbour, Chem. Sci., 2015, 6, 4986 DOI: 10.1039/C5SC01796C

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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