Increasing the stability of calixarene-capped porous cages through coordination sphere tuning

Abstract

Chemically and thermally stable permanently porous coordination cages are appealing candidates for separations, catalysis, and as the porous component of new porous liquids. However, many of these applications have not turned to microporous cages as a result of their poor solubility and thermal or hydrolytic stability. Here we describe the design and modular synthesis of iron and cobalt cages where the carboxylate groups of the bridging ligands of well-known calixarene capped coordination cages have been replaced with more basic triazole units. The resultingly higher M–L bond strengths afford highly stable cages that are amenable to modular synthetic approaches and potential functionalization or modification. Owing to the robust nature of these cages, they are highly processable and are isolable in various physical states with tunable porosity depending on the solvation methods used. As the structural integrity of the cages is maintained upon high activation temperatures, apparent losses in porosity can be mediated by resolvation and crystallization or precipitation.