Organization and Energy Transfer of Fused Aromatic Hydrocarbon Guests within Anion-Confining Nanochannel MOFs

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2015 Aug 3;54(32):9284-8. doi: 10.1002/anie.201503588. Epub 2015 Jun 18.

Abstract

The self-assembly of Zn(II) ions with 1,3,5-tris(isonicotinoyloxyethyl)cyanurate produces new topological (4(2)⋅12(4))3(4(3))4 2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with anion-confining cages. The eclipsed assembly of each 2D MOF by π-π stacking of cyanurate moieties (3.352(5) Å) forms 3D MOFs consisting of nanochannels (10.5 Å). Two of the three anions are confined in each peanut-type cage, resulting in hydrophobicity of the nanochannels. The hydrophobic nanochannel effectively adsorbs a wide range of fused aromatic hydrocarbons (FAHs) as monomers or dimers, rendering it potentially highly useful as an energy-transfer material.

Keywords: FRET; energy transfer; metal-organic frameworks; polyaromatic hydrocarbons; zinc.