Flexible and Hierarchical Metal–Organic Framework Composites for High‐Performance Catalysis

The development of porous composite materials is of great significance for their potentially improved performance over those of individual components and extensive applications in separation, energy storage, and heterogeneous catalysis. Now mesoporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with macroporous melamine foam (MF) have been integrated using a one‐pot process, generating a series of MOF/MF composite materials with preserved crystallinity, hierarchical porosity, and increased stability over that of melamine foam. The MOF nanocrystals were threaded by the melamine foam networks, resembling a ball‐and‐stick model overall. The resulting MOF/MF composite materials were employed as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the epoxidation of cholesteryl esters. Combining the advantages of interpenetrative mesoporous and macroporous structures, the MOF/melamine foam composite has higher dispersibility and more accessibility of catalytic sites, exhibiting excellent catalytic performance.     

Direct and Post‐Synthesis Incorporation of Chiral Metallosalen Catalysts into Metal–Organic Frameworks for Asymmetric Organic Transformations

Two chiral porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were constructed from [VO(salen)]‐derived dicarboxylate and dipyridine bridging ligands. After oxidation of V^IV to V^V, they were found to be highly effective, recyclable, and reusable heterogeneous catalysts for the asymmetric cyanosilylation of aldehydes with up to 95 % ee. Solvent‐assisted linker exchange (SALE) treatment of the pillared‐layer MOF with [Cr(salen)Cl]‐ or [Al(salen)Cl]‐derived dipyridine ligands led to the formation of mixed‐linker metallosalen‐based frameworks and incorporation of [Cr(salen)] enabled its use as a heterogeneous catalyst in the asymmetric epoxide ring‐opening reaction.     

Influence of the Base on Pd@MIL‐101‐NH2(Cr) as Catalyst for the Suzuki–Miyaura Cross‐Coupling Reaction

The chemical stability of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is a major factor preventing their use in industrial processes. Herein, it is shown that judicious choice of the base for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction can avoid decomposition of the MOF catalyst Pd@MIL‐101‐NH₂(Cr). Four bases were compared for the reaction: K₂CO₃, KF, Cs₂CO₃ and CsF. The carbonates were the most active and achieved excellent yields in shorter reaction times than the fluorides. However, powder XRD and N₂ sorption measurements showed that the MOF catalyst was degraded when carbonates were used but remained crystalline and porous with the fluorides. XANES measurements revealed that the trimeric chromium cluster of Pd@MIL‐101‐NH₂(Cr) is still present in the degraded MOF. In addition, the different countercations of the base significantly affected the catalytic activity of the material. TEM revealed that after several catalytic runs many of the Pd nanoparticles (NPs) had migrated to the external surface of the MOF particles and formed larger aggregates. The Pd NPs were larger after catalysis with caesium bases compared to potassium bases.     

Well‐Defined Metal–Organic Framework Hollow Nanocages

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have demonstrated great potentials in a variety of important applications. To enhance the inherent properties and endow materials with multifunctionality, the rational design and synthesis of MOFs with nanoscale porosity and hollow feature is highly desired and remains a great challenge. In this work, the formation of a series of well‐defined MOF (MOF‐5, Fe^II‐MOF‐5, Fe^III‐MOF‐5) hollow nanocages by a facile solvothermal method, without any additional supporting template is reported. A surface‐energy‐driven mechanism may be responsible for the formation of hollow nanocages. The addition of pre‐synthesized poly(vinylpyrrolidone)‐ (PVP) capped noble‐metal nanoparticles into the synthetic system of MOF hollow nanocages yields the yolk–shell noble metal@MOF nanostructures. The present strategy to fabricate hollow and yolk–shell nanostructures is expected to open up exciting opportunities for developing a novel class of inorganic–organic hybrid functional nanomaterials.     

A Metal–Organic Framework Containing Unusual Eight‐Connected Zr–Oxo Secondary Building Units and Orthogonal Carboxylic Acids for Ultra‐sensitive Metal Detection

Two metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with Zr–oxo secondary building units (SBUs) were prepared by using p,p′‐terphenyldicarboxylate (TPDC) bridging ligands pre‐functionalized with orthogonal succinic acid (MOF‐ 1 ) and maleic acid groups (MOF‐ 2 ). Single‐crystal X‐ray structure analysis of MOF‐ 1 provides the first direct evidence for eight‐connected SBUs in UiO‐type MOFs. In contrast, MOF‐ 2 contains twelve‐connected SBUs as seen in the traditional UiO MOF topology. These structural assignments were confirmed by extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis. The highly porous MOF‐ 1 is an excellent fluorescence sensor for metal ions with the detection limit of <0.5 ppb for Mn²⁺and three to four orders of magnitude greater sensitivity for metal ions than previously reported luminescent MOFs.     

Metal–Organic Frameworks Based Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

In view of the clean and sustainable energy, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based materials, including pristine MOFs, MOF composites, and their derivatives are emerging as unique electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Thanks to their tunable compositions and diverse structures, efficient MOF‐based materials provide new opportunities to accelerate the sluggish ORR at the cathode in fuel cells and metal–air batteries. This Minireview first provides some introduction of ORR and MOFs, followed by the classification of MOF‐based electrocatalysts towards ORR. Recent breakthroughs in engineering MOF‐based ORR electrocatalysts are highlighted with an emphasis on synthesis strategy, component, morphology, structure, electrocatalytic performance, and reaction mechanism. Finally, some current challenges and future perspectives for MOF‐based ORR electrocatalysts are also discussed.     

A Spiderweb‐Like Metal–Organic Framework Multifunctional Foam

Processing metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) into hierarchical macroscopic materials can greatly extend their practical applications. However, current strategies suffer from severe aggregation of MOFs and limited tuning of the hierarchical porous network. Now, a strategy is presented that can simultaneously tune the MOF loading, composition, spatial distribution, and confinement within various bio‐originated macroscopic supports, as well as control the accessibility, robustness, and formability of the support itself. This method enables the good dispersion of individual MOF nanoparticles on a spiderweb‐like network within each macrovoid even at high loadings (up to 86 wt %), ensuring the foam pores are highly accessible for excellent adsorption and catalytic capacity. Additionally, this approach allows the direct pre‐incorporation of other functional components into the framework. This strategy provides precise control over the properties of both the hierarchical support and MOF.     

A Stable Microporous Mixed‐Metal Metal–Organic Framework with Highly Active Cu2+ Sites for Efficient Cross‐Dehydrogenative Coupling Reactions

Two metalloporphyrin octacarboxylates were used to link copper(II) nodes for the formation of two novel porous mixed‐metal metal–organic frameworks (M′MOFs) containing nanopore cages (2.1 nm in diameter) or nanotubular channels (1.5 nm in diameter). The highly active Cu²⁺ sites on the nanotubular surfaces of the stable porous M′MOF ZJU‐22 , stabilized by three‐connected nets, lead to the superior catalytic activity for the cross‐dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction.     

Metal–Organic Frameworks as Catalysts for Oxidation Reactions

This Concept is aimed at describing the current state of the art in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as heterogeneous catalysts for liquid‐phase oxidations, focusing on three important substrates, namely, alkenes, alkanes and alcohols. Emphases are on the nature of active sites that have been incorporated within MOFs and on future targets to be set in this area. Thus, selective alkene epoxidation with peroxides or oxygen catalyzed by constitutional metal nodes of MOFs as active sites are still to be developed. Moreover, no noble metal‐free MOF has been reported to date that can act as a general catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols. In contrast, in the case of alkanes, a target should be to tune the polarity of MOF internal pores to control the outcome of the autooxidation process, resulting in the selective formation of alcohol/ketone mixtures at high conversion.     

Terbium–organic framework as heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst for β‐aminoalcohol synthesis: Efficient,reusable and green catalytic method

A terbium–organic framework (Tb‐MOF) was prepared using a previously reported procedure. Tb‐MOF was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction and surface area analysis. Tb‐MOF was employed as a heterogeneous Lewis acid catalyst for the synthesis of β‐aminoalcohols. Also, the effect of ultrasonic irradiation was examined in the catalytic aminolysis of styrene oxide. The reaction conditions were optimized by variation of reaction time, catalyst concentration and solvent. A variety of β‐aminoalcohols were synthesized and characterized. The Tb‐MOF catalyst showed excellent selectivity and high yield for these transformations.     

Template‐Directed Synthesis of Porous and Protective Core–Shell Bionanoparticles

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising high surface area coordination polymers with tunable pore structures and functionality; however, a lack of good size and morphological control over the as‐prepared MOFs has persisted as an issue in their application. Herein, we show how a robust protein template, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), can be used to regulate the size and shape of as‐fabricated MOF materials. We were able to obtain discrete rod‐shaped TMV@MOF core–shell hybrids with good uniformity, and their diameters could be tuned by adjusting the synthetic conditions, which can also significantly impact the stability of the core–shell composite. More interestingly, the virus particle underneath the MOF shell can be chemically modified using a standard bioconjugation reaction, showing mass transportation within the MOF shell.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Trost–Oppolzer‐Type Alder–Ene Reaction of Dienyl Acetates to Cyclopentadienes

A new approach to the synthesis of highly substituted cyclopentadienes, indenes, and cyclopentene‐fused heteroarenes by means of the Pd‐catalyzed Trost–Oppolzer‐type intramolecular Alder–ene reaction of 2,4‐pentadienyl acetates is described. This unprecedented transformation combines the electrophilic features of the Tsuji–Trost reaction with the nucleophilic features of the Alder–ene reaction. The overall outcome can be perceived as a hitherto unknown “acid‐free” iso‐Nazarov‐type cyclization. The versatility of this strategy was further demonstrated by the formal synthesis of paucifloral F, a resveratrol‐based natural product.     

Crystalline Capsules: Metal–Organic Frameworks Locked by Size‐Matching Ligand Bolts

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are shown to be good examples of a new class of crystalline porous materials for guest encapsulation. Since the encapsulation/release of guest molecules in MOF hosts is a reversible process in nature, how to prevent the leaching of guests from the open pores with minimal and nondestructive modifications of the structure is a critical issue. To address this issue, we herein propose a novel strategy of encapsulating guests by introducing size‐matching organic ligands as bolts to lock the pores of the MOFs through deliberately anchoring onto the open metal sites in the pores. Our proposed strategy provides a mechanical way to prevent the leaching of guests and thereby has less dependence on the specific chemical environment of the hosts, thus making it applicable for a wide variety of existing MOFs once the size‐matching ligands are employed.     

Highly Efficient Cooperative Catalysis by CoIII(Porphyrin) Pairs in Interpenetrating Metal–Organic Frameworks

A series of porous twofold interpenetrated In‐Co^III(porphyrin) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were constructed by in situ metalation of porphyrin bridging ligands and used as efficient cooperative catalysts for the hydration of terminal alkynes. The twofold interpenetrating structure brings adjacent Co^III(porphyrins) in the two networks parallel to each other with a distance of about 8.8 Å, an ideal distance for the simultaneous activation of both substrates in alkyne hydration reactions. As a result, the In‐Co^III(porphyrin) MOFs exhibit much higher (up to 38 times) catalytic activity than either homogeneous catalysts or MOF controls with isolated Co^III(porphyrin) centers, thus highlighting the potential application of MOFs in cooperative catalysis.     

Potential Utilization of Metal–Organic Frameworks in Heterogeneous Catalysis: A Case Study of Hydrogen‐Bond Donating and Single‐Site Catalysis

Crystalline solid materials are platforms for the development of effective catalysts and have shown vast benefits at the frontiers between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. Typically, these crystalline solid catalysts outperformed their homogeneous analogs due to their high stability, selectivity, better catalytic activity, reusability and recyclability in catalysis applications. This point of view, comprising significant features of a new class of porous crystalline materials termed as metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) engendered the attractive pathway to synthesize functionalized heterogeneous MOF catalysts. The present review includes the recent research progress in developing both hydrogen‐bond donating (HBD) MOF catalysts and MOF‐supported single‐site catalysts (MSSCs). The first part deals with the novel designs of urea‐, thiourea‐ and squaramide‐containing MOF catalysts and study of their crucial role in HBD catalysis. In the second part, we discuss the important classification of MSSCs with existing examples and their use in desired catalytic reactions. In addition, we describe the relative catalytic efficiency of these MSSCs with their homogeneous and similarly reported analogs. The precise knowledge of discussed heterogeneous MOF catalysts in this review may open the door for new research advances in the field of MOF catalysis.     

Template‐Directed Approach Towards the Realization of Ordered Heterogeneity in Bimetallic Metal–Organic Frameworks

Controlling the arrangement of different metal ions to achieve ordered heterogeneity in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has been a great challenge. Herein, we introduce a template‐directed approach, in which a 1D metal–organic polymer incorporating well‐defined binding pockets for the secondary metal ions used as a structural template and starting material for the preparation of well‐ordered bimetallic MOF‐74s under heterogeneous‐phase hydrothermal reaction conditions in the presence of secondary metal ions such as Ni²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in 3 h. The resulting bimetallic MOF‐74s were found to possess a nearly 1:1 metal ratio regardless of their initial stoichiometry in the reaction mixture, thus demonstrating the possibility of controlling the arrangement of metal ions within the secondary building blocks in MOFs to tune their intrinsic properties such as gas affinity.     

Design and Synthesis of a Water‐Stable Anionic Uranium‐Based Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) with Ultra Large Pores

Ionic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a subclass of porous materials that have the ability to incorporate different charged species in confined nanospace by ion‐exchange. To date, however, very few examples combining mesoporosity and water stability have been realized in ionic MOF chemistry. Herein, we report the rational design and synthesis of a water‐stable anionic mesoporous MOF based on uranium and featuring tbo‐type topology. The resulting tbo MOF exhibits exceptionally large open cavities (3.9 nm) exceeding those of all known anionic MOFs. By supercritical CO₂ activation, a record‐high Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) surface area (2100 m² g^?1) for actinide‐based MOFs has been obtained. Most importantly, however, this new uranium‐based MOF is water‐stable and able to absorb positively charged ions selectively over negatively charged ones, enabling the efficient separation of organic dyes and biomolecules.     

Multi‐shelled Hollow Metal–Organic Frameworks

Hollow metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials with sophisticated structures, such as multiple shells, that cannot only enhance the properties of MOFs but also endow them with new functions. Herein, we show a rational strategy to fabricate multi‐shelled hollow chromium (III) terephthalate MOFs (MIL‐101) with single‐crystalline shells through step‐by‐step crystal growth and subsequent etching processes. This strategy relies on the creation of inhomogeneous MOF crystals in which the outer layer is chemically more robust than the inner layer and can be selectively etched by acetic acid. The regulation of MOF nucleation and crystallization allows the tailoring of the cavity size and shell thickness of each layer. The resultant multi‐shelled hollow MIL‐101 crystals show significantly enhanced catalytic activity during styrene oxidation. The insight gained from this systematic study will aid in the rational design and synthesis of other multi‐shelled hollow structures and the further expansion of their applications.     

Electroactive Metal–Organic Frameworks as Emitters for Self‐Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence in Aqueous Medium

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have limited applications in electrochemistry owing to their poor conductivity. Now, an electroactive MOF (E‐MOF) is designed as a highly crystallized electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter in aqueous medium. The E‐MOF contains mixed ligands of hydroquinone and phenanthroline as oxidative and reductive couples, respectively. E‐MOFs demonstrate excellent performance with surface state model in both co‐reactant and annihilation ECL in aqueous medium. Compared with the individual components, E‐MOFs significantly improve the ECL emission due to the framework structure. The self‐enhanced ECL emission with high stability is realized by the accumulation of MOF cation radicals via pre‐reduction electrolysis. The self‐enhanced mechanism is theoretically identified by DFT. The mixed‐ligand E‐MOFs provide a proof of concept using molecular crystalline materials as new ECL emitters for fundamental mechanism studies.     

Postsynthetic modification of IRMOF‐3 with a copper iminopyridine complex as heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of 2‐aminobenzothiazoles

A copper iminopyridine complex has been immobilized on to a metal–organic framework (MOF) through postsynthetic modification of IRMOF‐3. The modified MOFs were fully demonstrated by using a variety of methods, and the structural integrity of the modified MOFs has been confirmed by powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, it was shown that the modified IRMOF‐3 can act as an efficient solid catalyst for the synthesis of 2‐aminobenzothiazoles via the reaction of 2‐iodoanilines with isothiocyanates in a heterogeneous manner. Moreover, the catalyst could be facilely separated from the reaction mixture and reused for six consecutive cycles without significant degradation in catalytic activity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.