Conventionally, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are assembled from organic linkers and metal salts in a one-pot reaction, making it difficult to study the mechanism of the assembly or to control the final product. In this presentation, a stepwise approach, both conceptually and experimentally, will be introduced. It starts with the design and synthesis of metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs), which are cage molecules with a well-defined cavity in each MOP. These molecular cages are then connected to form MOFs with pre-designed cavity. New MOF materials with high selectivity for CO2 molecules have been constructed through this approach.

Building metal-organic frameworks: One cavity at a time

244th National Meeting (2012)

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