A three-dimensional network solid composed of Fe(III) centers and paramagnetic semiquinoid linkers, (NBu4)2Fe(III)2(dhbq)3 (dhbq(2-/3-) = 2,5-dioxidobenzoquinone/1,2-dioxido-4,5-semiquinone), is shown to exhibit a conductivity of 0.16 ± 0.01 S/cm at 298 K, one of the highest values yet observed for a metal-organic framework (MOF). The origin of this electronic conductivity is determined to be ligand mixed-valency, which is characterized using a suite of spectroscopic techniques, slow-scan cyclic voltammetry, and variable-temperature conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Importantly, UV-vis-NIR diffuse reflectance measurements reveal the first observation of Robin-Day Class II/III mixed valency in a MOF. Pursuit of stoichiometric control over the ligand redox states resulted in synthesis of the reduced framework material Na0.9(NBu4)1.8Fe(III)2(dhbq)3. Differences in electronic conductivity and magnetic ordering temperature between the two compounds are investigated and correlated to the relative ratio of the two different ligand redox states. Overall, the transition metal-semiquinoid system is established as a particularly promising scaffold for achieving tunable long-range electronic communication in MOFs.

Increasing the operating temperatures of single-molecule magnets—molecules that can retain magnetic polarization in the absence of an applied field—has potential implications toward information storage and computing, and may also inform the development of new bulk magnets. Progress toward these goals relies upon the development of synthetic chemistry enabling enhancement of the thermal barrier to reversal of the magnetic moment, while suppressing alternative relaxation processes. Herein, we show that pairing the axial magnetic anisotropy enforced by tetramethylcyclopentadienyl (CpMe4H) capping ligands with strong magnetic exchange coupling provided by an N2 3− radical bridging ligand results in a series of dilanthanide complexes exhibiting exceptionally large magnetic hysteresis loops that persist to high temperatures. Significantly, reducing the coordination number of the metal centers appears to increase axial magnetic anisotropy, giving rise to larger magnetic relaxation barriers and 100-s magnetic blocking temperatures of up to 20 K, as observed for the complex [K(crypt-222)][(CpMe4H 2Tb)2(μ−)].

Conductive metal-organic frameworks are an emerging class of three-dimensional architectures with degrees of modularity, synthetic flexibility and structural predictability that are unprecedented in other porous materials. However, engendering long-range charge delocalization and establishing synthetic strategies that are broadly applicable to the diverse range of structures encountered for this class of materials remain challenging. Here, we report the synthesis of K Fe(BDP) (0 ≤ x ≤ 2; BDP = 1,4-benzenedipyrazolate), which exhibits full charge delocalization within the parent framework and charge mobilities comparable to technologically relevant polymers and ceramics. Through a battery of spectroscopic methods, computational techniques and single-microcrystal field-effect transistor measurements, we demonstrate that fractional reduction of Fe(BDP) results in a metal-organic framework that displays a nearly 10,000-fold enhancement in conductivity along a single crystallographic axis. The attainment of such properties in a K Fe(BDP) field-effect transistor represents the realization of a general synthetic strategy for the creation of new porous conductor-based devices.

Cooperative binding, whereby an initial binding event facilitates the uptake of additional substrate molecules, is common in biological systems such as haemoglobin. It was recently shown that porous solids that exhibit cooperative binding have substantial energetic benefits over traditional adsorbents, but few guidelines currently exist for the design of such materials. In principle, metal-organic frameworks that contain coordinatively unsaturated metal centres could act as both selective and cooperative adsorbents if guest binding at one site were to trigger an electronic transformation that subsequently altered the binding properties at neighbouring metal sites. Here we illustrate this concept through the selective adsorption of carbon monoxide (CO) in a series of metal-organic frameworks featuring coordinatively unsaturated iron(ii) sites. Functioning via a mechanism by which neighbouring iron(ii) sites undergo a spin-state transition above a threshold CO pressure, these materials exhibit large CO separation capacities with only small changes in temperature. The very low regeneration energies that result may enable more efficient Fischer-Tropsch conversions and extraction of CO from industrial waste feeds, which currently underutilize this versatile carbon synthon. The electronic basis for the cooperative adsorption demonstrated here could provide a general strategy for designing efficient and selective adsorbents suitable for various separations.

Metal-organic frameworks are of interest for use in a variety of electrochemical and electronic applications, although a detailed understanding of their charge transport behavior, which is of critical importance for enhancing electronic conductivities, remains limited. Herein, we report isolation of the mixed-valence framework materials, Fe(tri)(BF) (tri = 1,2,3-triazolate; x = 0.09, 0.22, and 0.33), obtained from the stoichiometric chemical oxidation of the poorly conductive iron(II) framework Fe(tri), and find that the conductivity increases dramatically with iron oxidation level. Notably, the most oxidized variant, Fe(tri)(BF), displays a room-temperature conductivity of 0.3(1) S/cm, which represents an increase of 8 orders of magnitude from that of the parent material and is one of the highest conductivity values reported among three-dimensional metal-organic frameworks. Detailed characterization of Fe(tri) and the Fe(tri)(BF) materials via powder X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and IR and UV-vis-NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopies reveals that the high conductivity arises from intervalence charge transfer between mixed-valence low-spin Fe centers. Further, Mössbauer spectroscopy indicates the presence of a valence-delocalized Fe species in Fe(tri)(BF) at 290 K, one of the first such observations for a metal-organic framework. The electronic structure of valence-pure Fe(tri) and the charge transport mechanism and electronic structure of mixed-valence Fe(tri)(BF) frameworks are discussed in detail.