The organic ligands with mixed N-/O-donors used in construction of functional metal–organic frameworks

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are coordination compounds with infinite structures consisting of metal ions/clusters and organic ligands linked through coordination interactions. The reported studies prove the fact that the nature of the organic ligands dominates the final structures as well as properties of functional MOFs in a certain way. Therefore, we focus on discussing the ligands to fabricate functional MOFs which are suitable for catalysis and the storage of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. With the development of functional MOFs, diverse N- or O-donor ligands have been designed. However, sometimes just one ligand containing only one kind of N- or O-donor cannot realize the specific functionality of frameworks. Thus it is necessary to design a ligand containing N- and O-donors simultaneously or mixed ligands with the same or different donors. In this highlight we summarize some common types of mixed donors or mixed organic ligands used in the construction of functional MOFs and discuss the relationship between the organic ligands and the final structures.