Size, Shape, and Porosity Control of Medi-MOF-1 via Growth Modulation under Microwave Heating

It has been widely recognized that nanosized metal-organic frameworks (nano-MOFs) possess prominent advantages over bulky MOFs in both chemical and physical aspects, while the synthesis of nano-MOFs with well-tuned crystal sizes and shapes still remains a challenge. Herein, with the aid of microwave heating and growth modulation, we successfully synthesized the nanosized counterpart of medi-MOF-1. Cubic-shaped, nanosized medi-MOF-1 with the length of 200 nm has been produced by adding a certain amount of capping ligands which cause competitive coordination interactions during the crystal growth process. It is found that crystal sizes and morphology were controlled by changing the concentration of the capping ligand. Furthermore, hierarchical porosity was introduced to nanosized medi-MOF-1 due to the existence of defects. It is believed that the nanosized counterpart of medi-MOF-1 would have remarkable potential applications in gas storage as well as the medical and pharmaceutical fields.