Pore-controlled formation of 0D metal complexes in anionic 3D metal–organic frameworks

Abstract

The host–guest chemistry between a series of anionic MOFs and their trapped counterions was investigated by single crystal XRD. The PCN-514 series contains crystallographically identifiable metal complexes trapped in the pores, where their formation is controlled by the size and shape of the MOF pores. A change in the structure and pore size of PCN-518 indicates that the existence of guest molecules may reciprocally affect the formation of host MOFs.