Ni-doped MOF-5s were successfully synthesized for the first time via solvothermal crystallization process to enhance the hydrostability. Several characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetrical analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy instrument (EDS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), infrared spectroscopy (IR), atomic sorption, diffuse-reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy, and gas sorption measurement, strongly support the effective incorporation of Ni(II) ions into the framework. The results demonstrated that the Ni-doped MOF-5s not only exhibit larger Langmuir specific surface areas and larger pores than the undoped MOF-5, but also significantly enhance water resistance of the framework. The H(2) uptake capacity of undoped MOF-5 drops rapidly when exposed to the ambient air, whereas the H(2) adsorptions of the Ni-doped MOF-5s remain stable for 4 days.

Two new 3D lanthanide(III)-copper(II) organic frameworks based on unusual {OLn6} clusters have been successfully synthesized and fully characterized. Crystallographic studies showed that the {OLn6} clusters acted as 12-connected nodes that were linked together by [CuL2] (H2L = 3-hydroxypyrazine-2-carboxylic acid) moieties to construct an interesting 4,12-c net with the point symbol {4(36).6(30)}{4(4).6(2)}3. Magnetic studies revealed that these two isostructural heterometallic frameworks exhibited different magnetic properties, depending on the different anisotropies of the lanthanide spin carriers: Gd-Cu showed a large magnetocaloric effect, with an entropy change (-ΔS(m)) of 35.76 J  kg(-1)  K(-1), which is one of the largest values in high-dimensional complexes, whilst Dy-Cu exhibited slow relaxation of the magnetization at low temperatures.

NiO nanoparticles were in situ formed in a new metal-organic framework (MOF), [Ni(pyip)(HCOO)(HO)] [1; Hpyip = 5-(pyridine-4-yl)isophthalic acid], which was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The MOF 1 shows a 3,6-connected three-dimensional rtl topology network with a topological symbol of (4.6)(4.6.8). Magnetic property studies showed that the combination of NiO nanoparticles within the magnetic MOF leads to the occurrence of long-range magnetic ordering below a critical temperature of 18 K.

A framework approach was successfully performed to give a three-dimensional heterometallic compound exhibiting single-ion magnet (SIM) behavior. Enhanced SIM behavior was obtained by continuous application of diamagnetic-ion dilution and an external dc field.