A robust and porous titanium metal-organic framework for gas adsorption, CO capture and conversion.

A robust and porous titanium metal-organic framework (Ti-MOF; LCU-402) has been hydrothermally synthesized through combining a tetranuclear TiCa(μ-O)(μ-HO)(HO)(OC-) cluster and a tritopic 1,3,5-benzene(tris)benzoic (BTB) ligand. LCU-402 shows remarkable stability and permanent porosity for CO, CH, CH, CH, and CH gas adsorption. Moreover, LCU-402 as a heterogeneous catalyst can smoothly convert CO under a simulated flue atmosphere into organic carbonate molecules by cycloaddition reactions of CO and epoxides, indicating that LCU-402 might be a promising catalyst candidate in practical applications. We are confident that the identification of a persistent titanium-oxo building unit would accelerate the development of new porous Ti-MOF materials.