MOF-mimetic molecules: carboxylate-based supramolecular complexes as molecular metal–organic framework analogues

Abstract

Supramolecular complexes and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have both received considerable attention for decades. Interestingly, there are a subset of the former which are structurally similar to portions of the latter. These complexes, which typically feature high solubility, stability, and amenability to surface functionalization strategies, can be thought of as molecular MOF pore analogues. Although these represent a relatively small subset of supramolecular complexes, they are important examples of how the structural diversity of MOFs can be leveraged to afford novel cage complexes. Here we review recent work along the lines of MOF-mimetic molecules which can be classified as (i) pore window analogues, (ii) vertex-terminated cages, and (iii) ligand-terminated cages. We further discuss isomerization of a subset of these complexes and strategies that have been employed to extend MOF-mimetic cages into three dimensions via pillaring or ligand-based structure extension.