Controlled Fabrication of Functional Capsules Based on the Synergistic Interaction between Polyphenols and MOFs under Weak Basic Condition

Metal–organic coordination materials with controllable nanostructures are of widespread interest due to the coupled benefits of inorganic/organic building blocks and desired architectures. In this work, based on the finding of a synergistic interaction between metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and natural polyphenols under weak basic condition, a facile strategy has been developed for directly fabricating diverse phenolic-inspired functional materials or metal-phenolic frameworks (MPFs) with controlled hollow nanostructures (polyhedral core–shell, rattle-like, hollow cage, etc.) and controllable size, morphology, and roughness, as well as composition. By further incorporating the diverse functionalities of polyphenols such as low toxicity and therapeutic properties, catalytic activity, and ability to serve as carbon precursors, into the novel assemblies, diverse artificially designed nanoarchitectures with target functionalities have been generated for an array of applications.