Versatility vs stability. Are the assets of metal–organic frameworks deployable in aqueous acidic and basic media?

Abstract

Exploring the deployment of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in a plethora of applications is a growing research area. More importantly, this evolving class of solid materials has attracted recent interest in relevant applications that involve aqueous acids or bases. This mounting interest, mainly at a low readiness level, is driven by the high degree of structural tunability of MOFs vs other families of solid-state materials. However, the advantage of organic–inorganic hybridization in MOFs, for fine-tuning the structural properties-performances, is very often limited by their degree of chemical and hydrolytic stability. Herein, we offer an overview of the progress made in the design and assembly of MOFs with potential robustness in harsh aqueous acidic and basic media. In this review, we analyze critically the different works carried out on the use of MOFs as separation and catalytic agents in neutral and acidic-basic conditions. Prominently, this work finely evaluates the impact of different chemical, functional and topological parameters on the robustness of the resultant MOF frameworks. Future directions that guide material chemists towards designing frameworks with long-term stability in harsh liquid phases will also be debated.