Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a family of porous crystalline materials composed of inorganic metal ions or metal clusters connected by organic ligands via coordination bonds.1- 4 Given by their diversity in chemistry and topology, MOFs have been extensively explored for applications such as gas storage, separation, sensing, catalysis, proton conduction, etc. Based on the fundamentals of MOF stability, stable MOFs are classified into two categories: high-valency metal–carboxylate frameworks and low-valency metal–azolate frameworks. Aluminum-based metal–organic frameworks, Al-MOFs, have developed into one of the most promising MOFs for potential applications because of, inter alia, their hydrothermal stability and comparatively easy synthesis, and the availability of abundant, inexpensive and non-poisonous metal. MOF-303 (Al(OH)(HPDC) is a water-stable aluminum MOF. It has the xhh topology and is constructed from an infinite, rod-like Al(OH)(-COO)2 clusters linked through HPDC ligands. In the clusters, octahedrally-coordinated Al(Ш) are corner-shared bound by four bridging carboxyl and two hydroxyl groups[1-2].
[1] Cong S, et al. Highly Water-Permeable Metal?Organic Framework MOF-303 Membranes for Desalination. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2021; 143: 20055–20058.
[2] Tannert N, et al. Robust synthesis routes and porosity of the Al-based metal–organic frameworks Al-fumarate, CAU-10-H and MIL-160. Dalton Transactions, 2019; 48: 2967-2976.
