Control over Catenation in Metal-Organic Frameworks via Rational Design of the Organic Building Block

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a hybrid class of materials comprising inorganic nodes and organic struts. have potential application in many areas due to their high SLII-face areas and uniform pores and channels. One of the key challenges to be overcome in MOF synthesis is the strong propensity for catenation (growth of multiple independent networks within a given crystal), as catenation reduces cavity sizes and diminishes porosity. Here we demonstrate that rational design of organic building blocks, which act as strut-impervious scaffolds, can be exploited to generate highly desired noncatenated materials in a controlled fashion.