Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are newly emerged competitors in the field of functionalized materials, and have been of significant interest due to their seemingly limitless potential for applications (e.g. gas separations and storage, catalysis, drug delivery) in addition to their unmatched surface area/porosity, modularity, mild synthesis conditions, and thermal stability. These functionalized materials consist of inorganic components (i.e., transition metal ions, clusters, chains, sheets, etc.) connected by organic ligands, whose design are only limited by the bounds of organic chemistry. Both the inorganic and organic components can be designed to independently introduce desired properties into the framework. In some cases, using only one type of component is insufficient to generate the range or property needed, but using mixtures can allow for better tuning of properties. Presented here are methods to synthesize functionalized metal-organic frameworks through the introduction of mixed-metal systems, specifically for applications in drug delivery and catalysis. Using existing frameworks that contain multinuclear metal clusters as a template, the structures can be modified to include additional active metal centers. One method is by introducing multiple types of metals into the synthesis conditions, generating heteronuclear clusters. Another way this is done is by first creating a metalloligand to serve as the bridge between the metal nodes in the framework. In this case, the metalloligand has a structural functionality equivalent to that of an organic ligand, except the metalloligand introduces a catalytically active palladium(II) metal site anchored into the pores of the framework, which allows for guest molecules in the pores of the framework to interact with the open metal site.

Methods to target mixed-metal metal-organic frameworks for catalytic applications

2019 Spring National Meeting

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