Design of porous solids based on open frameworks of coordination polymers

INOR 297

Yu Wang, ywang@wpi.edu and John C. MacDonald, jcm@wpi.edu. Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Rd, Worcester, MA 01609-2280
The design of porous solids based on open frameworks of molecules that form channels has witnessed great progress in recent years. A useful method to promote formation of open frameworks is to utilize organic molecules that coordinate to metal ions at several different metal-binding sites. Judicious choice of coordination bonds as secondary building blocks has provided a several new types of framework solids that exhibit high surface area and porosity. Our strategy to fabricate porous solids is to design 3-D coordination polymers composed of very large organic building blocks that have predetermined tetrahedral geometry. We currently are investigating organic functional groups such as pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid, pyridine-2-carboxylic acid and dipyrromethene as metal-binding units. In addition, we are investigating smaller ligands with one nitrogen and one carboxyl group, such as 4-(1H-Imidazol-1-yl)benzoic acid and urocanic acid as possible building blocks for diamond frameworks. Some crystal structures were obtained by X-ray single crystal diffraction. The design, preparation, characterization and properties of these molecules and several framework materials composed of metal ion complexes of these molecules are discussed.