The Utilization of Amide Groups to Expand and Functionalize Metal‐Organic Frameworks Simultaneously

A new stepwise ligand-elongation strategy by amide spacers is utilized to prepare isoreticularly high-porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely, quasi-mesoporous [Cu2(PDBAD)(H2O)]n (H4PDBAD=5,5′-((4,4′-((pyridine-3,5-dicarbonyl)bis(azanediyl))bis(benzoyl))bis(azanediyl))diisophthalic acid; NJU-Bai22: NJU-Bai for Nanjing University Bai's group), and mesoporous [Cu2(PABAD)(H2O)]n (H4PABAD=5,5′-((4,4′-((4,4′-((pyridine-3,5-dicarbonyl)bis(azanediyl))bis(benzoyl))bis (azanediyl))bis(benzoyl))bis(azanediyl))diisophthalic acid; NJU-Bai23). Compared with the prototypical MOF of [Cu2(PDAD)(H2O)]n (H4PDAD=5,5′-(pyridine-3,5-dicarbonyl)bis(azanediyl)diisophthalic acid; NJU-Bai21, also termed as PCN-124), both MOFs exhibit almost the same CO2 adsorption enthalpy and CO2 selectivity values, and better capacity for CO2 storage under high pressure; these results make them promising candidate materials for CO2 capture and sequestration. Interestingly, this new method, in comparison with traditional strategies of using phenyl or triple-bond spacers, is easier and cheaper, resulting in a better ability to retain high CO2 affinity and selectivity in MOFs with large pores and high CO2 storage capacity. Additionally, it may lead to the high thermal stability of the MOFs and also their tolerance to water, which is related to the balance between the density of functional groups and pore sizes. Therefore, this strategy could provide new opportunities to explore more functionalized mesoporous MOFs with high performance.