Laurance Beauvais and colleagues have synthesised a mixed metal MOF allowing different divalent metal ions to be easily incorporated into the framework. A bimetallic approach means that one metal can be used for structural integrity, whilst the other can be functional, for application in catalysis for example. The team chose a porprhyrin-based ligand to underpin the framework since this has two distinct metal binding sites – a structural metal binding site at the carboxy and pyridyl ligands; and a functional metal binding site within the porphyrin cavity.
By adding the metals together in a one-pot reaction, the porphyrin framework incorporates both metals with the larger metal ions occupying the structural sites.
With the synthetic method now done and dusted, the team will now look into the catalytic and luminescent properties of these coordination framework materials.
Read Beauvais’ HOT article now… A heterometallic metal-organic framework with tuneable reactive metal sites: synthesis, characterization, and reactivity
Nathan C. Smythe, Derek P. Butler, Curtis E. Moore, William R. McGowan, Arnold L. Rheingold and Laurance G. Beauvais
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