Many of the desirable properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be tuned by chemical functionalization of the organic ligands that connect their metal clusters into multidimensional network solids. When these linker molecules are intrinsically fluorescent, they can pass on this property to the resultant MOF, potentially generating solid-state sensors, as analytes can be bound within their porous interiors. Herein, we report the synthesis of a series of 14 interpenetrated Zr and Hf MOFs linked by functionalized 4,4'-[1,4-phenylene-bis(ethyne-2,1-diyl)]-dibenzoate (peb) ligands, and we analyze the effect of functional group incorporation on their structures and properties. Addition of methyl, fluoro, naphthyl, and benzothiadiazolyl units does not affect the underlying topology, but induces subtle structural changes, such as ligand rotation, and mediates host-guest interactions. Further, we demonstrate that solid-state photoluminescence spectroscopy can be used to probe these effects. For instance, introduction of naphthyl and benzothiadiazolyl units yields MOFs that can act as stable fluorescent water sensors, a dimethyl modified MOF exhibits a temperature dependent phase change controlled by steric clashes between interpenetrated nets, and a tetrafluorinated analogue is found to be superhydrophobic despite only partial fluorination of its organic backbone. These subtle changes in ligand structure coupled with the consistent framework topology give rise to a series of MOFs with a remarkable range of physical properties that are not observed with the ligands alone.
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A novel, facile and efficient method was developed for the activation of acetic acid modulated zirconium MOFs. The protocol involves briefly heating the material in water using microwave irradiation. MOF-808, DUT-84 and UiO-66 were all activated in this manner to remove the modulator and organic solvent from the framework post synthesis, with retention of MOF integrity post activation. The degree of activation was characterised by the use of TGA and NMR. The catalytic activity of the activated MOFs and their non-activated counterparts was investigated for chemical warfare agent (CWA) hydrolysis. Upon activation, an increase in the rate of hydrolysis was observed in the degradation of CWA simulant dimethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP). MOF-808 and DUT-84 were also screened as catalysts for the hydrolysis of the V-series agent VM, with remarkable half-lives obtained for MOF-808 in the absence of any buffers. Currently employed MOF activation procedures involve the use of additional organic solvents post synthesis; we believe this method to be ideally efficacious for the organic desolvation of zirconium MOFs and removing modulator additives.
A new rigid tritopic phosphonic ligand, 2,4,6-tris(4-phosphonophenyl)pyridine (H6L), was synthesized and used to assemble isostructural barium (1) and strontium (2) phosphonate metal organic frameworks that exhibit fully reversible and selective water-dependent fluorescence red-shift at room temperature.
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