Yao Kang

Luminescent MTN-type cluster-organic framework with 2.6 nm cages.

From a basic tetrahedral Cu(4)I(4) cluster, a new MTN-type cluster-organic framework (COZ-1) containing giant 6(4)5(12) and 5(12) cages was successfully constructed. The 6(4)5(12) cage has an inner diameter of 2.6 nm and a large pore volume of 9.2 nm(3); these tetrahedral Cu(4)I(4) clusters with bulky size offer new opportunities for not only the formation of 4-connected zeotype structures but also the integration of porosity and photoluminescent properties from both the cluster and the framework.

Doping copper into ZIF-67 for enhancing gas uptake capacity and visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of organic dye

A doping strategy was successfully applied to tune the gas sorption and photocatalytic properties of a microporous material ZIF-67. The Cu-doped phase integrated both structural features and functions of ZIF-67 showed high gas uptake capacity and highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic property on the degradation of methyl orange.

Lanthanide-thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate frameworks: ionothermal synthesis, helical structures, photoluminescent properties, and single-crystal-to-single-crystal guest exchange.

Eight three-dimensional lanthanide-thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate frameworks, [Ln(TDC)(2)]·(choline) (1-6; Ln = Gd, Nd, Eu, Er, Tb, Dy; TDC = thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate), [Yb(TDC)(2)(e-urea)]·(choline)·H(2)O (7; e-urea = ethyleneurea), [Nd(2)(TDC)(3)(e-urea)(4)]·3(e-urea) (8) have been successfully prepared in deep eutectic solvents (choline chloride/e-urea), respectively. Compounds 1-7 are anionic frameworks with 8-connected bcu topology, while compound 8 features a neutral 6-connected rob-type framework with guest e-urea molecules. In these structures, lanthanide ions show dicapped trigonal prism, pentagonal bipyramid, and tricapped trigonal prism coordination configurations, respectively, and the TDC ligands exhibit different coordination modes. Versatile helical substructures are presented in these compounds. The photoluminescent properties of compounds 3 (Eu) and 8 (Nd) were studied. Moreover, compound 8 can perform single-crystal-to-single-crystal guest exchange. The ethanol-exchange mechanism of 8 can be ascribed to the kinetically controlled flexibility (KCF).

Induction in urothermal synthesis of chiral porous materials from achiral precursors.

Special asymmetric crystallization of porous framework materials from achiral precursors under urothermal conditions is successfully achieved by using an enantiopure liquid as a co-solvent and chirality induction agent, which provides a new strategy for the synthesis of homochiral porous materials containing only achiral building blocks.

Homochiral porous metal–organic frameworks containing only achiral building blocks for enantioselective separation

Enantioselective separation of racemic 1-phenethanol via hydrogen bonding interactions is realized in two enantiomorphous robust metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with permanent porosity for high hydrogen uptake and reversible guest exchange function through a single-crystal-to-single-crystal fashion, which opens a new route toward enantioselective separation by employing low-cost homochiral MOFs containing only achiral building blocks.

Homochiral assembly of polycatenated bilayers with mixing achiral ligands

Presented here is a new homochiral Cu(II) compound with a polycatenated bilayer structure constructed from flexible 4,4′-oxybisbenzoic acid and 1,3-di(4-pyridyl)propane, which shows an unusual topology with intrinsic chirality and provides a new route toward the construction of chiral metal–organic frameworks via the homochiral assembly of polycatenated bilayers.

A novel 3D framework generated by unusual pillared 2D bilayer motifs

A hydrothermally synthesized mixed-ligand molecular solid has been formulated. The X-ray diffraction analysis of a single crystal revealed a novel 3D architecture generated by unusual 2D bilayer motifs linked up by pillars. Three types of channels in one direction are established inside the structure.

A twisting chiral ‘dense’ 75.9 net, incorporating a helical sub-structure

A new twisting chiral dense 75.9 net, containing only planar four-coordinate nodes and incorporating single helical sub-structures with the same accessibility, was represented.

Co-chelation of a scorpion-shaped carboxylate ligand and phenanthroline lead to a 2-D interpenetratively tubular architecture

A novel zinc coordination supramolecular complex, {[Zn3(OABDC)2(phen)3]·2H2O}n, with an open-ended nanotube architecture based on a nano-sized tetranuclear Zn4(OABDC)4 metallacycle repeating unit, is strategically designed and synthesized using a unique scorpion-shaped carboxylate ligand (5-oxyacetate isophthalic acid = H3OABDC) and phenanthroline.

Zeolitic Metal–Organic Frameworks Based on Amino Acid

Two enantiomorphic metal-organic frameworks with zeotype SOD topology have been successfully synthesized from enantiopure L-alanine and D-alanine, respectively, which demonstrates the feasibility of fabricating MOFs that integrate the 4-connected zeotype topologies and homochiral nature by the employment of enantiopure amino acids.