Observation of Topotactic Linker Reorganization in the Aperiodic Metal-Organic Framework TRUMOF-1.

We use synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements to monitor the solvothermal crystallization mechanism of the aperiodic metal-organic framework TRUMOF-1. Following an initial incubation period, TRUMOF-1 forms as a metastable intermediate that subsequently transforms into an ordered product with triclinic crystal symmetry. We determine the structure of this ordered phase, which we call msw-TRUMOF-1, and show that it is related to TRUMOF-1 through topotactic reorganization of linker occupancies.

Enhanced elastic stability of a topologically disordered crystalline metal-organic framework.

By virtue of their open network structures and low densities, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are soft materials that exhibit elastic instabilities at low applied stresses. The conventional strategy for improving elastic stability is to increase the connectivity of the underlying MOF network, which necessarily increases the material density and reduces the porosity. Here we demonstrate an alternative paradigm, whereby elastic stability is enhanced in a MOF with an aperiodic network topology.