Self-assembling zeolite crystals into uniformly oriented layers

We report important progress made in the synthesis of oriented functional layers of nanochannel materials by using coordination chemistry as a tool. Zeolite L (ZL) crystals have been arranged into oriented layers through the coordinative interactions between a functional organic linker (L) and metal cations used for connecting the different parts. As organic linker we used a terpyridyl ligand bearing a urea group and a reactive siloxane part. Two strategies that lead to monolayers with different properties are described. The first consists of reacting the siloxane group of ligand L with OH groups of the substrate (S), and selectively reacting the siloxane group of L with OH groups located at the base of the ZL crystals. Next, metal cations Mn+, for example, Zn2+ or Cu2+, are coordinated to the terpy group on the modified substrate. To this the modified ZL is added and coordinatively bound by the terpy(Mnn+)terpy interaction, leading to oriented ZL layers. The second method consists of reacting substrate S...