Spray-Coating of Catalytically Active MOF–Polythiourea through Postsynthetic Polymerization

A UiO-66-NCS MOF was formed by postsynthetic modification of UiO-66-NH₂. The UiO-66-NCS MOFs displays a circa 20-fold increase in activity against the chemical warfare agent simulant dimethyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP) compared to UiO-66-NH₂, making it the most active MOF materials using a validated high-throughput screening. The −NCS functional groups provide reactive handles for postsynthetic polymerization of the MOFs into functional materials. These MOFs can be tethered to amine-terminated polypropylene polymers (Jeffamines) through a facile room-temperature synthesis with no byproducts. The MOFs are then crosslinked into a MOF–polythiourea (MOF–PTU) composite material, maintaining the catalytic properties of the MOF and the flexibility of the polymer. This MOF–PTU hybrid material was spray-coated onto Nyco textile fibers, displaying excellent adhesion to the fiber surface. The spray-coated fibers were screened for the degradation of DMNP and showed durable catalytic reactivity.     

高稳定性金属有机骨架UiO-66的合成与应用

金属有机骨架(metal-organic frameworks,MOFs)是一种由金属中心与有机配体自组装而成的、具有三维网状有序孔结构的新型多孔晶体材料,其具有超高的比表面积、种类和结构多样性、可化学功能化等特点,在多个研究领域显示出了潜在的应用前景,已成为当前化学、材料学科的研究热点之一。 然而大多数MOFs材料的稳定性较差,极大地束缚了MOFs材料的发展。 以Zr为金属中心,对苯二甲酸为有机配体的UiO-66具有较好的热稳定性,结构可在500 ℃保持稳定,并且其还具有很高的耐酸性和一定的耐碱性,引起了人们的关注。 本文主要综述了UiO-66在合成调控、功能化合成和后改性方面的研究现状,以及其在吸附和催化等领域的应用前景。     

UiO-67-Sal-CuCl2在空气中催化芳香醇的选择性氧化

利用水热法一步合成了金属有机骨架(MOFs)材料UiO-67-Sal, 并将3种铜盐固定在其表面, 研究了3种铜MOFs材料催化芳香醇选择性氧化的性能. 结果表明, UiO-67-Sal-CuCl₂催化剂对芳香醇选择性氧化反应具有良好的催化活性, 且在重复使用4次后, 依然保持较好的催化效果.     

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.     

Synthesis and Mechanical Properties of sub 5-μm PolyUiO-66 Thin Films on Gold Surfaces

Metal-organic framework (MOF) thin films currently lack the mechanical stability needed for electronic device applications. Polymer-based metal-organic frameworks (polyMOFs) have been suggested to provide mechanical advantages over MOFs, however, the mechanical properties of polyMOFs have not yet been characterized. In this work, we developed a method to synthesize continuous sub-5 μm polyUiO-66(Zr) films on Au substrates, which allowed us to undertake initial mechanical property investigations. Comparisons between polyUiO-66 and UiO-66 thin films determined polyUiO-66 thin films exhibit a lower modulus but similar hardness to UiO-66 thin films. The initial mechanical characterization indicates that further development is needed to leverage the mechanical property advantages of polyMOFs over MOFs. Additionally, the demonstration in this work of a continuous surface-supported polyUiO-66 thin film enables utilization of this emerging class of polyMOF materials in sensors and devices applications.     

Selectivity Control in the Direct CO Esterification over Pd@UiO-66: The Pd Location Matters

The selectivity control of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) in the direct CO esterification with methyl nitrite toward dimethyl oxalate (DMO) or dimethyl carbonate (DMC) remains a grand challenge. Herein, Pd NPs are incorporated into isoreticular metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely UiO-66-X (X=-H, -NO₂, -NH₂), affording Pd@UiO-66-X, which unexpectedly exhibit high selectivity (up to 99 %) to DMC and regulated activity in the direct CO esterification. In sharp contrast, the Pd NPs supported on the MOF, yielding Pd/UiO-66, displays high selectivity (89 %) to DMO as always reported with Pd NPs. Both experimental and DFT calculation results prove that the Pd location relative to UiO-66 gives rise to discriminated microenvironment of different amounts of interface between Zr-oxo clusters and Pd NPs in Pd@UiO-66 and Pd/UiO-66, resulting in their distinctly different selectivity. This is an unprecedented finding on the production of DMC by Pd NPs, which was previously achieved by Pd(II) only, in the direct CO esterification.     

Water-Harvesting Metal–Organic Frameworks with Gigantic Al24 Units and their Deconstruction into Molecular Clusters

In contrast to the vast Al-oxo molecular cluster chemistry, Al-based building units for metal–organic framework (MOF) construction are limited in structural diversity and complexity. Synthesis of single crystalline MOFs based on this “hard” metal is further complicated by the poor reversibility of the Al-organic coordination linkages. Here, a strategy to employ two kinds of linkages with distinct strength—strong Al-carboxylate linkage and weak Cu-pyrazol N linkage—gives FDM-91 (FDM=Fudan Materials) with gigantic Al₂₄-based units. After replacing the weak moieties with organic linkers post-synthetically, two new stable MOFs with exceptional water harvesting capacity (up to 0.53 g g⁻¹) and outstanding cycling performance are developed. Linkage-selective dissociation of FDM-91 further leads to the isolation of the Al₂₄ molecular clusters. The versatile chemistry performed here to reinforce or deconstruct MOFs provides a new way to make important extended and discrete structures.     

Tailor-made metal-organic frameworks from functionalized molecular building blocks and length-adjustable organic linkers by stepwise synthesis

In this work, we have demonstrated a family of diamondoid metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based on functionalized molecular building blocks and length-adjustable organic linkers by using a stepwise synthesis strategy. We have successfully achieved not only "design" and "control" to synthesize MOFs, but also the functionalization of both secondary building units (SBUs) and organic linkers in the same MOF for the first time. Furthermore, the results of N(2) and H(2) adsorption show that their surface areas and hydrogen uptake capacities are determined by the most optimal combination of functional groups from SBUs and organic linkers, interpenetration, and free volume in this system. A member of this series, DMOF-6 exhibits the highest surface area and H(2) adsorption capacity among this family of MOFs.     

Exploiting parameter space in MOFs: a 20-fold enhancement of phosphate-ester hydrolysis with UiO-66-NH2

The hydrolysis of nerve agents is of primary concern due to the severe toxicity of these agents. Using a MOF-based catalyst (UiO-66), we have previously demonstrated that the hydrolysis can occur with relatively fast half-lives of 50 minutes. However, these rates are still prohibitively slow to be efficiently utilized for some practical applications (e.g., decontamination wipes used to clean exposed clothing/skin/vehicles). We thus turned our attention to derivatives of UiO-66 in order to probe the importance of functional groups on the hydrolysis rate. Three UiO-66 derivatives were explored; UiO-66-NO₂ and UiO-66-(OH)₂ showed little to no change in hydrolysis rate. However, UiO-66-NH₂ showed a 20 fold increase in hydrolysis rate over the parent UiO-66 MOF. Half-lives of 1 minute were observed with this MOF. In order to probe the role of the amino moiety, we turned our attention to UiO-67, UiO-67-NMe₂ and UiO-67-NH₂. In these MOFs, the amino moiety is in close proximity to the zirconium node. We observed that UiO-67-NH₂ is a faster catalyst than UiO-67 and UiO-67-NMe₂. We conclude that the role of the amino moiety is to act as a proton-transfer agent during the catalytic cycle and not to hydrogen bond or to form a phosphorane intermediate.     

Unraveling the reversible formation of defective Ce3+ sites in the UiO-66(Ce) material: a multi-technique study

Ce³⁺ presence and formation in Ce-based UiO-66 Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) still presents a debated evaluation between the employed characterization techniques. In this work, we have prepared a defective UiO-66(Ce) and investigated the nature of Ce³⁺ sites on the CeO_x clusters. Laboratory techniques (EPR, XPS, UV–Vis and FTIR spectroscopy) were compared with operando Ce M₅-edge NEXAFS to study Ce³⁺ accessibility. All the employed techniques presented different degrees of accessibility or reliability (e.g., sample damage or not sufficient sensitivity). Among the obtained results, EPR, UV–Vis and NEXAFS spectroscopies unraveled Ce⁴⁺→Ce³⁺ conversion during the sample dehydration. The MOF structure was not damaged by neither water loss nor the beam, directly relating Ce oxidation state to the water content, opening a new route to both synthesis of stable and active MOFs and non-invasive characterization strategies. Finally, laboratory measurements considerations were exploited for studying Ce³⁺ formation in Zr-doped UiO-66(Ce) samples.     

Molecular dynamics simulation study of drugs adsorption in UiO-66

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are novel porous materials that have been extensively used in sensors, catalysis, gas storage and separation, and drug deliver owing to their adjustable pore size, large surface area and high porosity. Among diverse MOFs, UiO-66 can be a promising carrier for drug delivery due to high porosity and chemical stability. However, the adsorption mechanism of drugs in UiO-66 has not been identified and need a further investigation. Hence, we utilized molecular dynamic (MD) simulation to investigate the adsorption mechanism of UiO-66 as drug carriers. The MD simulation of UiO-66 exhibits the busulfan loading of 80 %, ibuprofen of 20 % and 5-fluorouracil of 30 %, respectively. We also demonstrated that the host-guest interaction between UiO-66 and drugs is dominated by the Van der Waals force. UiO-66 shows the highest affinity for busulfan compared with ibuprofen and 5-fluorouracil. In addition, it is certified the linear relation between the adsorption atoms and the interaction energy, which could help us to predict the interaction energy between drugs and UiO-66 by the contact atoms.     

Tailor‐Made Metal–Organic Frameworks from Functionalized Molecular Building Blocks and Length‐Adjustable Organic Linkers by Stepwise Synthesis

In this work, we have demonstrated a family of diamondoid metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on functionalized molecular building blocks and length‐adjustable organic linkers by using a stepwise synthesis strategy. We have successfully achieved not only “design” and “control” to synthesize MOFs, but also the functionalization of both secondary building units (SBUs) and organic linkers in the same MOF for the first time. Furthermore, the results of N₂ and H₂ adsorption show that their surface areas and hydrogen uptake capacities are determined by the most optimal combination of functional groups from SBUs and organic linkers, interpenetration, and free volume in this system. A member of this series, DMOF‐6 exhibits the highest surface area and H₂ adsorption capacity among this family of MOFs.     

UiO-66 and hcp UiO-66 Catalysts Synthesized from Ionic Liquids as Linker Precursors

Using ionic liquids (ILs) as linker precursors, the well-known metal-organic framework (MOF) UiO-66 (Universitetet i Oslo) and the recently reported MOF hcp UiO-66 (hexagonal closed packed) have been successfully synthesized and characterized. The advantage of the applied novel synthesis approach is an economically and environmentally benign work-up procedure, due to the better solubility of the IL. Additionally, the reactivity of the terephthalate anions is increased compared to terephthalic acid, resulting in faster MOF formation with an increased amount of defects in the MOF structure. In order to explore to the influence of defects on the catalytic performance, the cyclisation of citronellal to isopulegol was employed as test reaction. The activity of hcp UiO-66 and fcc UiO-66 (face centered cubic) is improved compared to other MOF or zeolite based catalysts, while the selectivity is similar.     

Selective Formation of Polyaniline Confined in the Nanopores of a Metal–Organic Framework for Supercapacitors

In this study, a strategy that can result in the polyaniline (PANI) solely confined within the nanopores of a metal–organic framework (MOF) without forming obvious bulk PANI between MOF crystals is developed. A water-stable zirconium-based MOF, UiO-66-NH₂, is selected as the MOF material. The polymerization of aniline is initiated in the acidic suspension of UiO-66-NH₂ nanocrystals in the presence of excess poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS). Since the pore size of UiO-66-NH₂ is too small to enable the insertion of the bulky PSS, the quick formation of pore-confined solid PANI and the slower formation of well dispersed PANI:PSS occur within the MOF crystals and in the bulk solution, respectively. By taking advantage of the resulting homogeneous PANI:PSS polymer solution, the bulk PANI:PSS can be removed from the PANI/UiO-66-NH₂ solid by successive washing the sample with fresh acidic solutions through centrifugation. As this is the first time reporting the PANI solely confined in the pores of a MOF, as a demonstration, the obtained PANI/UiO-66-NH₂ composite material is applied as the electrode material for supercapacitors. The PANI/UiO-66-NH₂ thin films exhibit a pseudocapacitive electrochemical characteristic, and their resulting electrochemical activity and charge-storage capacities are remarkably higher than those of the bulk PANI thin films.     

Synergistically Directed Assembly of Aromatic Stacks Based Metal‐Organic Frameworks by Donor‐Acceptor and Coordination Interactions

A synergistically directed assembly approach to distinctive metal‐organic frameworks utilizing both donor‐acceptor (D‐A) interaction from aromatic systems and coordination interactions is presented. Based on such an approach, the coronene‐tpt (tpt = 2,4,6‐tri(4‐pyridyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine) stacks based coronene‐MOF‐1 — 4 have been successfully fabricated. Their structural discrepancies with coronene‐ absent control products, 1′ — 4′ , illustrate clearly the significance of coronene‐tpt based D‐A interactions in these architectures. All these coronene‐MOFs contain varied coronene‐tpt stacks as organic secondary building blocks (SBUs), which are closely interrelated with the coordination based framework structures. Moreover, porous coronene‐MOF‐1 and ‐2 exhibit high physicochemical stability and significant light hydrocarbons storage and separation performances.     

Zr-Based MOFs with High Drug Loading for Adsorption Removal of Anti-Cancer Drugs: A Potential Drug Storage

A robust and highly water stable series of UiO-66-drived MOFs including UiO-66-NH₂, glycidyl methacrylate functionalized UiO-66-NH₂ (UiO-66-GMA) and ethylenediamine functionalized UiO-66-NH₂ (UiO-66-EDA) were synthesized solvothermally and studied their adsorption performances toward two anti-cancer drugs, methotrexate (MTX) and curcumin (CUR) in the case of overdose. It was found that functionalizing the surface of UiO-66-NH₂ nanoparticles with different functional groups remarkably changes the adsorption capacity and the ideal adsorption selectivity of MTX over CUR. Particularly, the UiO-66-EDA exhibited the highest adsorption capacities for both drugs, 540.78 and 423.85 mg/g for MTX and CUR, respectively, because of the strong interaction between drug molecules and adsorbent via hydrogen bonding due to the existence of different polar functional groups. The kinetics of drugs adsorption was investigated by three well-known kinetic models, which the output indicates that the adsorption of both drugs onto the synthesized MOFs follow the pseudo-second-order model. Moreover, it was found that the equilibrium adsorption results were well fitted with the Langmuir isotherm models, revealing that the adsorption of both drugs onto the synthesized MOFs is a monolayer adsorption process. Further investigation illustrated that the synthesized MOFs could be easily activated and reused after four successive adsorption–desorption cycles. The output of the present work is of main important for biomedical and environmental applications of MOFs as an outstanding adsorbent for adsorption removal of hazardous drugs from contaminated aqueous solutions.     

Metal-organic framework as a multi-component sensor for detection of Fe3+, ascorbic acid and acid phosphatase

In this research,a hydroxyl group functionalized metal-organic framework(MOF),UiO-66-(OH)₂,was synthesized as a "on-off-on" fluore scent switching nanoprobe for highly sensitive and selective detection of Fe³⁺,ascorbic acid(AA) and acid phosphatase(ACP).UiO-66-(OH)₂ emits yellow-green light under ultraviolet light,when Fe³⁺ was added,Fe³⁺ was chelated with hydroxyl group,the electrons in the excited state S_1 of the MOF transferred to the half-filled 3 d orbits of Fe³⁺,resulting in fluorescence quenching because of the nonradiative electron/hole recombination annihilation.AA could reduce Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺,which can destroy the electron transfer between UiO-66-(OH)₂ and Fe³⁺ after AA adding,resulted in nonoccurrence of the nonradiative electron transfer,leading to the recovery of UiO-66-(OH)₂ fluorescence intensity.The probe can also be used to detect ACP based on the enzymolysis of 2-phospho-L-ascorbic acid(AAP) to produce AA.Benefitting from the hydroxyl group and the characteristics of UiO-66,including the high porosity and large surface area,the developed UiO-66-(OH)₂ showed extensive advantages as a fluorescent probe for detection of multi-component,such as high sensitivity and selectivity,colorimetric detection,fast response kinetics and easy to operate,economical and secure.This is the first time to use active group functionalized MOFs as a multicomponent sensor for these three substances detection.     

A Bio-inspired Nano-pocket Spatial Structure for Targeting Uranyl Capture

Biology has evolved excellent spatial structures for high-selectivity and high-affinity capture of heavy metals. Inspired by the spatial structure of the superb-uranyl binding protein SUP, we mimic the spatial structure of SUP in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The MOF UiO-66-3C4N fabricated by introducing 4-aminoisophthalic acid into UiO-66 shows high uranyl adsorption capacity both in simulated seawater and in natural seawater. In natural seawater, UiO-66-3C4N exhibits 17.03 times higher uranium extraction capacity than that of vanadium, indicating the high selectivity of the adsorbent. The EXAFS analysis and DFT calculation reveal that UiO-66-3C4N forms smaller nano-pocket for uranyl capture than that of SUP protein, which can both restrict the entrance of the other interfering ions with larger size and reinforce the binding by increasing the coordination interaction, and therefore qualify the nano-pocket with high affinity and high selectivity to uranyl.     

Multivariate Modulation of the Zr MOF UiO-66 for Defect-Controlled Combination Anticancer Drug Delivery

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging as leading candidates for nanoscale drug delivery, as a consequence of their high drug capacities, ease of functionality, and the ability to carefully engineer key physical properties. Despite many anticancer treatment regimens consisting of a cocktail of different drugs, examples of delivery of multiple drugs from one MOF are rare, potentially hampered by difficulties in postsynthetic loading of more than one cargo molecule. Herein, we report a new strategy, multivariate modulation, which allows incorporation of up to three drugs in the Zr MOF UiO-66 by defect-loading. The drugs are added to one-pot solvothermal synthesis and are distributed throughout the MOF at defect sites by coordination to the metal clusters. This tight binding comes with retention of crystallinity and porosity, allowing a fourth drug to be postsynthetically loaded into the MOFs to yield nanoparticles loaded with cocktails of drugs that show enhancements in selective anticancer cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells in vitro. We believe that multivariate modulation is a significant advance in the application of MOFs in biomedicine, and anticipate the protocol will also be adopted in other areas of MOF chemistry, to easily produce defective MOFs with arrays of highly functionalised pores for potential application in gas separations and catalysis.     

Assessing Crystallisation Kinetics of Zr Metal–Organic Frameworks through Turbidity Measurements to Inform Rapid Microwave-Assisted Synthesis

Controlling the crystallisation of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), network solids of metal ions or clusters connected by organic ligands, is often hindered by the significant number of synthetic variables inherent to their synthesis. Coordination modulation, the addition of monotopic competing ligands to solvothermal syntheses, can allow tuning of physical properties (particle size, porosity, surface chemistry), enhance crystallinity, and select desired phases, by modifying the kinetics of self-assembly, but its mechanism(s) are poorly understood. Herein, turbidity measurements were used to assess the effects of modulation on the solvothermal synthesis of the prototypical Zr terephthalate MOF UiO-66 and the knowledge gained was applied to its rapid microwave synthesis. The studied experimental parameters—temperature, reagent concentration, reagent aging, metal precursor, water content, and modulator addition—all influence the time taken for onset of nucleation, and subsequently allow microwave synthesis of UiO-66 in as little as one minute. The simple, low cost turbidity measurements align closely with previously reported in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies, proving their simplicity and utility for probing the nucleation of complex materials while offering significant insights to the synthetic chemist.