Multicomponent, Functionalized HKUST-1 Analogues Assembled via Reticulation of Prefabricated Metal-Organic Polyhedral Cavities

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) assembled from multiple building blocks exhibit greater chemical complexity and superior functionality in practical applications. Herein, we report a new approach based on using prefabricated cavities to design isoreticular multicomponent MOFs from a known parent MOF. We demonstrate this concept with the formation of multicomponent HKUST-1 analogues, using a prefabricated cavity that comprises a cuboctahedral Rh(II) metal-organic polyhedron functionalized with 24 carboxylic acid groups. The cavities are reticulated in three dimensions via Cu(II)-paddlewheel clusters and (functionalized) 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate linkers to form three-and four -compo-nent HKUST-1 analogues.

Automated summary

In this study, a new approach based on using prefabricated cavities is proposed to design isoreticular multicomponent MOFs. By using prefabricated cavities and suitable linkers, three- and four-component MOFs can be constructed.