Porous and Meltable Metal-Organic Polyhedra for the Generation and Shaping of Porous Mixed-Matrix Composites

Abstract

Here, we report the synthesis of BCN-93, a meltable, functionalized and permanently porous metal-organic polyhedron (MOP), and its subsequent transformation into amorphous or crystalline, shaped, self-standing, transparent porous films via melting and subsequent cooling. The synthesis entails the outer functionalization of a MOP with meltable polymer chains: in our model case, we functionalized a Rh(II)-based cuboctahedral MOP with polyethylene glycol (PEG). Finally, we demonstrate that once melted, BCN-93 can serve as a porous matrix into which other materials or molecules can be dispersed to form mixed-matrix composites. To illustrate this, we combined BCN-93 with one of various additives (either two MOF crystals, a porous cage, or a linear polymer) to generate a series of mixed-matrix films, each of which exhibited greater CO2 uptake relative to the parent film.