New 2D Metal-Organic Monoacid Framework (MOmAF): Realization of Extreme Water Repellence

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are normally moisture-sensitive and unstable in aqueous environments, which has considerably limited their practical applications because water/moisture is ubiquitous in many industrial processes. New materials with superior water stability are, therefore, in great demand and vital to their practical applications. Here, a novel oil/water interfacial assembly strategy is demonstrated for the synthesis of a new class of metal-organic monoacid framework (MOmAF) with exceptional water stability and chemical stability. Superhydrophobic 2D sheets are synthesized at room temperature, while 1D nanotubes are obtained via the self-scrolling of their 2D sheets for the first time. In addition, a simple sequential drop-casting method is developed to coat as-synthesized MOmAF structures onto porous membranes. This can potentially open up new avenues in the design of superhydrophobic self-cleaning MOmAF materials without tedious post-synthetic modifications and usher in a new class of materials meeting industrial needs. An oil/water interfacial synthesis method is designed to prepare novel 1D and 2D metal-organic monoacid framework (MOmAF) sheets. Importantly, all the synthesized materials are intrinsically hydrophobic and show extraordinary stability under aqueous conditions. This new synthesis concept can be applied to design further examples of water-stable MOmAFs for various applications, such as gas adsorption, catalysis, and membrane separation. image