Paper: 3D Covalent Organic Frameworks of Interlocking 1D Square Ribbons
Authors: Y. Liu, C. S. Diercks, Y. Ma, H. Lyu, C. Zhu, S. A. Alshmimri, S. Alshihri, and O. M. Yaghi
Citation: J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2019, 141, 677-683
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b12177
Abstract: A new mode of mechanical entanglement in extended structures is described where 1D organic ribbons of corner-sharing squares are mutually interlocked to form 3D woven covalent organic framework-500, COF-500. Reaction of aldehyde-functionalized tetrahedral Cu(PDB)2PO2Ph2 complexes (PDB = 4,4'-(1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diyl)dibenzaldehyde) with rectangular tetratopic ETTBA (4',4''',4''''',4'''''''-(ethene-1,1,2,2-tetrayl)tetrakis([1,1'-biphenyl]-4-amine)) linkers through imine condensation, yielded a crystalline porous metalated COF, COF-500-Cu, with pts topology. Upon removal of the Cu(I) ions, the individual 1D square ribbons in the demetalated form (COF-500) are held together only by mechanical interlocking of rings that allows their collective movement to produce a narrow-pore form as evidenced by nitrogen ad-sorption and solid-state photoluminescence studies. When exposed to tetrahydrofuran vapor, the interlocking ribbons can dynamically move away from each other to reopen up the structure. The structural integrity of COF-500 is maintained during its dynamics because the constituent square ribbons cannot part company due to spatial confinement imparted by their interlocking nature.