Metal–Organic Frameworks as A Tunable Platform for Designing Functional Molecular Materials

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), also known as coordination polymers, represent an interesting class of crystalline molecular materials that are synthesized by combining metal-connecting points and bridging ligands. The modular nature of and mild conditions for MOF synthesis have permitted the rational structural design of numerous MOFs and the incorporation of various functionalities via constituent building blocks. The resulting designer MOFs have shown promise for applications in a number of areas, including gas storage/separation, nonlinear optics/ferroelectricity, catalysis, energy conversion/storage, chemical sensing, biomedical imaging, and drug delivery. The structure-property relationships of MOFs can also be readily established by taking advantage of the knowledge of their detailed atomic structures, which enables fine-tuning of their functionalities for desired applications. Through the combination of molecular synthesis and crystal engineering MOFs thus present an unprecedented opportunity for the rational and precise design of functional materials.

Co@NH2-MIL-125(Ti): cobaloxime-derived metal–organic framework-based composite for light-driven H2 production

“…14, 15 MOFs have found application in organic photocatalysis, with the metal-containing nodes acting as semiconductor clusters spaced by photo-active organic struts.…”

Photoluminescent Metal–Organic Frameworks for Gas Sensing

“…Porous coordination polymers (PCPs) or metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are unparalleled for their diversified, desi­gnable and tailorable structures as well as unique chemical and physical properties 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Over the past two decades, MOFs have attracted extensive interest for their great potential in many applications such as gas separation/storage,11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 catalysis,18, 19, 20 drug delivery,21 and luminescence sensing 2, 3, 4, 22, 23.…”

Quasi‐Polymeric Metal–Organic Framework UiO‐66/g‐C3N4 Heterojunctions for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution under Visible Light Irradiation

“…Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline compounds that are covalently connected by the inorganic secondary building unit (metal ions or clusters) and organic linkers [5][6][7] and have been used extensively in gas storage, separation, molecular sensing, and catalysis. [8][9][10][11] Like metal oxide semiconductors, MOFs can also be photoexcited to produce electron-hole pairs.…”