Paul J. Saines

Hybrid Nanosheets of an Inorganic–Organic Framework Material: Facile Synthesis, Structure, and Elastic Properties

We report a new 2-D inorganic-organic framework material, MnDMS [Mn 2,2-dimethylsuccinate], featuring weakly bound hybrid layers in its bulk crystals that can be readily exfoliated into nanosheets via ultrasonication. The fully exfoliated hybrid nanosheets correspond to a unilamellar thickness of about 1 nm, while the partially exfoliated nanosheets (multilayer films) exhibit a typical thickness on the order of 10 nm. We used atomic force microscopy to characterize their surface topography and to map the variation of nanomechanical properties across the surface of the delaminated nanosheets. The morphology and crystallographic orientation of the exfoliated layers were further studied by transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, we investigated the elastic anisotropy underlying the bulk host material by means of single-crystal nanoindentation, from which the critical resolved shear stress (τ(crit)) needed for the micromechanical delamination of individual layers was determined to be relatively small (≲0.4 GPa).

Ball-Milling-Induced Amorphization of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs) for the Irreversible Trapping of Iodine

The I2-sorption and -retention properties of several existing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-4, -8, -69) and a novel framework, ZIF-mnIm ([Zn(mnIm)2 ]; mnIm=4-methyl-5-nitroimidazolate), have been characterised using microanalysis, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. The topologically identical ZIF-8 ([Zn(mIm)2]; mIm=2-methylimidazolate) and ZIF-mnIm display similar sorption abilities, though strikingly different guest-retention behaviour upon heating. We discover that this guest retention is greatly enhanced upon facile amorphisation by ball milling, particularly in the case of ZIF-mnIm, for which I2 loss is retarded by as much as 200 °C. It is anticipated that this general approach should be applicable to the wide range of available metal-organic framework-type materials for the permanent storage of harmful guest species.

Synthesis, Structure and Magnetic Phase Transitions of the Manganese Succinate Hybrid Framework, Mn(C4H4O4)

An anhydrous manganese succinate, Mn(C(4)H(4)O(4)), has been synthesised hydrothermally and studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It adopts a succinate pillared structure in which layers of corner-sharing MnO(6) octahedra alternate with sheets that contain chains of edge-sharing octahedra. This unique 3D framework structure contains highly distorted MnO(6) octahedra, which are made possible by the lack of ligand field stabilisation energy for the high-spin Mn(2+) ion. Attempts to dope the structure with other divalent transition-metal ions were accordingly unsuccessful. Magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity measurements indicate that Mn(C(4)H(4)O(4)) undergoes antiferromagnetic ordering below 12 K, with a second antiferromagnetic transition at approximately 6 K. These two antiferromagnetic phases undergo further transitions in applied fields, underlining the subtle magnetic behaviour that is possible in inorganic-organic frameworks of this structural complexity.

Layered inorganic-organic frameworks based on the 2,2-dimethylsuccinate ligand: Structural diversity and its effect on nanosheet exfoliation and magnetic properties

The structures of four new 2,2-dimethylsuccinate frameworks suitable for exfoliation into nanosheets using ultrasonication are reported. These hybrid compounds contain either monovalent (Li(+)) or divalent (Co(2+) and Zn(2+)) cations, and they all feature hydrophobically capped covalently bonded layers that only interact with each other via weak van der Waals forces. Critically this shows that the use of this dicarboxylate ligand generally yields two dimensional compounds suitable for simple and affordable nanosheet exfoliation. This extends the range of frameworks that can be exfoliated and highlights the 2,2-dimethylsuccinate ligand as an excellent versatile platform for the production of nanosheets. The topologies of the layers in each framework were found to vary significantly and this appears to have a significant effect on the relative size of the nanosheets produced; increased space between methyl groups and more extensive inorganic connectivity appears to favour the formation of thin nanosheets with larger lateral dimensions. Additionally the magnetic properties of two of these frameworks were examined, and it was found that both exhibit strong low dimensional antiferromagnetic coupling despite their well-separated layers preventing three dimensional magnetic order.

Isomer-Directed Structural Diversity and Its Effect on the Nanosheet Exfoliation and Magnetic Properties of 2,3-Dimethylsuccinate Hybrid Frameworks

The structures of seven new transition metal frameworks featuring Mn, Co, or Zn and either the meso or chiral D and L isomers of the 2,3-dimethylsuccinate ligand are reported. Frameworks that exhibit two-dimensional covalently bonded layers with weak interlayer interactions can be made with all three cations by incorporation of the chiral isomers of the 2,3-dimethylsuccinate ligand. The formation of such structures, suitable for the creation of nanosheets via exfoliation, is, however, not as ubiquitous as is the case with the 2,2-dimethylsuccinate frameworks since frameworks that incorporate the meso-2,3-dimethylsuccinate ligand form three-dimensional structures. This clear distinction between the formation of structures with covalent connectivity in two and three dimensions, depending on the choice of 2,3-dimethylsuccinate isomer, is due to the different conformations adopted by the backbone of the ligand. The chiral isomer prefers to adopt an arrangement with its methyl and carboxylate groups gauche to the neighboring functional groups of the same type, while the meso-ligand prefers to adopt trans geometry. A gauche-arrangement of the methyl groups places them on the same side of the ligand, making this geometry ideal for the formation of layered structures; a trans-relationship leads to the methyl groups being further apart, reducing their steric hindrance and making it easier to accommodate them within a three-dimensional structure. The ease of exfoliation of the layered frameworks is examined and compared to those of known transition metal 2,2-dimethylsuccinate frameworks by means of UV-vis spectroscopy. It is suggested that layered frameworks with more corrugated surfaces exfoliate more rapidly. The size, structure, and morphology of the exfoliated nanosheets are also characterized. The magnetic properties of the paramagnetic frameworks reveal that only the three dimensionally covalently bonded phases containing meso-2,3-DMS in trans-arrangements order magnetically. These frameworks are antiferromagnets at low temperatures, although the Co compound undergoes an unusual antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition with increasing applied magnetic field.

Detailed investigations of phase transitions and magnetic structure in Fe(III), Mn(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate (gallate) dihydrates by neutron and X-ray diffraction.

The effect of cation valency on the complex structures of divalent and trivalent transition metal gallates has been examined using a combination of neutron and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and XANES spectroscopy. In the divalent frameworks, M(C(7)H(4)O(5))·2H(2)O (M = Mn, Co and Ni), it was found that charge balance was achieved via the presence of protons on the meta-hydroxyl groups. It was also established that these compounds undergo a discontinuous phase transition at lower temperatures, which is driven by the position of the extra-framework water molecules in these materials. By contrast, in the trivalent Fe gallate, Fe(C(7)H(3)O(5))·2H(2)O, it was found that the stronger bonding between the meta-hydroxy oxygen and the cations leads to a weakening of the bond between this oxygen and its proton. This is turn is thought to lead to stronger hydrogen bonding with the extra-framework water. The lattice water is disordered in the Fe(III) case, which prevents the phase transition found in the M(II) gallates. Refinement against the neutron diffraction patterns also revealed that the relatively mild microwave synthesis of gallate frameworks in D(2)O led to an extensive deuteration of the ortho-hydrogen sites on the aromatic ring, which may suggest a more versatile method of deuterating aromatic organics. The antiferromagnetic structure of Co gallate has also been determined.

Structural diversity and luminescent properties of lanthanide 2,2- and 2,3-dimethylsuccinate frameworks

The structures of fourteen new lanthanide frameworks (La, Ce, Eu, Tb, Y and Lu) containing the 2,2- or 2,3-dimethylsuccinate ligands are reported. While the majority of the known 2,2-dimethylsuccinate frameworks feature two dimensionally bonded layers, capped by hydrophobic methyl groups, several of these new frameworks adopt quite different architectures. These include one dimensional inorganically connected chains (La and Ce) with only non-covalent interactions in the other two dimensions, and three dimensional covalently bonded frameworks (Eu and Lu) with spaces in their structure to accommodate the bulky methyl groups. The new 2,3-dimethylsuccinate frameworks (La and Y) adopt three-dimensional covalently bonded frameworks. The factors affecting the formation of structures with different dimensionalities are examined and compared to previously reported transition metal frameworks. In addition, the sequence of phases formed with changing lanthanide size, concentrations and temperatures are rationalised. The luminescent properties of several 1- and 2-D frameworks doped with Eu and Tb are reported, with the Y host exhibiting the most intense emission.

Ambient pressure structural quantum critical point in the phase diagram of (CaxSr1-x)3Rh4Sn13

The quasiskutterudite superconductor Sr_{3}Rh_{4}Sn_{13} features a pronounced anomaly in electrical resistivity at T^{*}∼138u2009u2009K. We show that the anomaly is caused by a second-order structural transition, which can be tuned to 0xa0K by applying physical pressure and chemical pressure via the substitution of Ca for Sr. A broad superconducting dome is centered around the structural quantum critical point. Detailed analysis of the tuning parameter dependence of T^{*} as well as insights from lattice dynamics calculations strongly support the existence of a structural quantum critical point at ambient pressure when the fraction of Ca is 0.9 (i.e., x_{c}=0.9). This establishes the (Ca_{x}Sr_{1-x})_{3}Rh_{4}Sn_{13} series as an important system for exploring the physics of structural quantum criticality without the need of applying high pressures.

Structures and magnetic properties of Mn and Co inorganic–organic frameworks with mixed linear dicarboxylate ligands

The structures and magnetic properties of two transition metal frameworks that feature a mixture of two linear dicarboxylate ligands are reported. Compounds 1, Mn2(C4H4O4)(C6H8O4)(H2O)4·2H2O, and 2, Co6(C4H4O4)4(C6H8O4)(OH)2(H2O)4·5H2O, contain a mixture of succinate and adipate ligands but adopt significantly different structures. Compound 1 features layers of MnO6 dimers, intra-connected by carboxylate groups, with neighbouring dimers connected to each other via the adipate ligands in one direction and succinate ligands in the other. Extensive hydrogen bonding in the third dimension provides the main force holding layers together. Framework 2 has inorganic layers of CoO6 octahedra arranged into rings of 14 members each, with adipate ligands providing inter-layer connectivity. The structures of these two compounds are compared to Mn and Co dicarboxylate frameworks containing only one type of organic ligand, including Co(C6H8O4), compound 3, whose structure is reported in this work for the first time; they are found to be significantly different from those that form under similar conditions. Both compounds order magnetically near 2 K. Compound 1 is an antiferromagnet, in which the intra-dimer coupling dominates the magnetic behaviour, while framework 2 is most likely a canted antiferromagnet. Both compounds undergo magnetic phase transitions with increasing applied magnetic fields, at 14 kOe and 0.35 kOe in 1 and 2, respectively. The transition in the Mn compound is a simple spin flop but in the Co compound the suppression of the long range ordered state is also accompanied by the elimination of the ferromagnetic component of its magnetic interactions.

Ligand‐Directed Control over Crystal Structures of Inorganic–Organic Frameworks and Formation of Solid Solutions

Grounded in fact: Inorganic-organic frameworks with 3D Li-O-Li connectivity can form solid solutions through mechanochemical synthesis. High-resolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and cross-polarization solid-state NMR spectroscopy demonstrate complete ligand mixing in the resulting binary and ternary systems (see picture for trends in unit cell volume (V) of the ternary system {Li2(suc)x(mal)y(met)z} n).