A Route to Bimodal Micro-Mesoporous Metal–Organic\nFrameworks Nanocrystals

Abstract

To overcome the pore size constraints (pore size <\n2 nm) of\ncrystalline microporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), one\ncan either reduce crystal size or create mesopore channels in the\nMOF crystals. Our approach does both, using a solvothermal nonionic\nsurfactant-templated assembly of microblocks in the presence of acetic\nacid, which not only generates well-defined mesopore channels within\nthe microporous MOF nanocrystals but also gives high crystallinity.\nTwo examples were selected to illustrate our approach using [Cu₃(BTC)₂]- and [Cu₂(HBTB)₂]-based\nMOFs (H₃BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid; H₃BTB = 1,3,5-Tris­[4-carboxyphenyl]­benzene).