Issue 37, 2024

Exfoliation of a metal–organic framework enabled by post-synthetic cleavage of a dipyridyl dianthracene ligand

Abstract

The synthetic tunability and porosity of two-dimensional (2D) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) renders them a promising class of materials for ultrathin and nanoscale applications. Conductive 2D MOFs are of particular interest for applications in nanoelectronics, chemo-sensing, and memory storage. However, the lack of covalency along the stacking axis typically leads to poor crystallinity in 2D MOFs, limiting structural analysis and precluding exfoliation. One strategy to improve crystal growth is to increase order along the stacking direction. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of mechanically exfoliatable macroscopic crystals of a 2D zinc MOF by selective dimensional reduction of a 3D zinc MOF bearing a dianthracene (diAn) ligand along the stacking axis. The diAn ligand, a thermally cleavable analogue of 4,4′-bipyridine, is synthesized by the direct functionalization of dianthraldehyde in a novel “dianthracene-first” approach. This work presents a new strategy for the growth of macroscopic crystals of 2D materials while introducing the functionalization of dianthraldehyde as a means to access new stimuli-responsive ligands.

Graphical abstract: Exfoliation of a metal–organic framework enabled by post-synthetic cleavage of a dipyridyl dianthracene ligand

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
29 5 2024
Accepted
13 8 2024
First published
20 8 2024
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2024,15, 15198-15204

Exfoliation of a metal–organic framework enabled by post-synthetic cleavage of a dipyridyl dianthracene ligand

M. E. Logelin, E. Schreiber, B. Q. Mercado, M. J. Burke, C. M. Davis and A. K. Bartholomew, Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 15198 DOI: 10.1039/D4SC03524K

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