Inquiry for the multifunctional design of metal–organic frameworks: in situ equipping additional open metal sites (OMSs) inducing high CO2 capture/conversion abilities

Abstract

On the basis of our conception for the in situ fabrication of multifunctional metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a binuclear Co-MOF [Co₃(μ₂-OH)(bpydc)(Htpim)₂]·3NO₃⁻·4MeOH·5DMA (1) (H₂bpydc = (2,2′-bipyridine)-5,5′-dicarboxylic acid, Htpim = 2,4,5-tri(4-pyridyl)imidazole, DMA = N,N-dimethylacetamide) with additional unsaturated open cobalt sites was blueprinted and accomplished. Compared to the parent structure, the co-existence of multifunctional sites (Lewis acid sites, Lewis basic sites and Brønsted acid sites) afforded a highly increased CO₂ uptake of 110.5 cm³ g⁻¹ at 273 K, together with the synergistic catalysis in promoting the CO₂ cycloaddition reaction. Consequently, such an in situ micro-fine functional design offers the possibility of property-improvement/enrichment for the pristine network.