Fabrication of Desired Metal-Organic Frameworks via Postsynthetic Exchange and Sequential Linker Installation

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention not only because of their diverse framework structures but also due to their interesting properties as well as potential applications in varied fields. The rational design and fabrication of MOFs with desired structures and properties are important but still a challenge. Generally, the construction of new MOFs is mainly by mixing metal salts/clusters and organic ligands via a conventional reaction process. However, the conventional reaction process is not always available for the targeted MOFs. In this review, we will highlight the postsynthetic methods based on stepwise reactions including metal-ion metathesis, ligand exchange, and sequential linker installation, which has been proven to be powerful for fabrication of desired MOFs that are not available by direct synthesis.