Volume 59, Issue 12 pp. 4652-4669
Review

Switching in Metal–Organic Frameworks

Dr. Fahime Bigdeli

Dr. Fahime Bigdeli

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14155-4838, Tehran, Iran

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Christina T. Lollar

Christina T. Lollar

Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Prof. Ali Morsali

Corresponding Author

Prof. Ali Morsali

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14155-4838, Tehran, Iran

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Prof. Dr. Hong-Cai Zhou

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dr. Hong-Cai Zhou

Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA

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First published: 27 May 2019
Citations: 259

Graphical Abstract

A switch in time: Although dynamic and flexible metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been closely assessed in recent literature, analysis into the subcategory of switchable MOFs has been comparably lacking. By virtue of their steady rise in popularity, MOFs with intriguing, switchable responses to light, temperature, pressure, redox species and guests are surveyed.

Abstract

In recent years, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have become an area of intense research interest because of their adjustable pores and nearly limitless structural diversity deriving from the design of different organic linkers and metal structural building units (SBUs). Among the recent great challenges for scientists include switchable MOFs and their corresponding applications. Switchable MOFs are a type of smart material that undergo distinct, reversible, chemical changes in their structure upon exposure to external stimuli, yielding interesting technological applicability. Although the process of switching shares similarities with flexibility, very limited studies have been devoted specifically to switching, while a fairly large amount of research and a number of Reviews have covered flexibility in MOFs. This Review focuses on the properties and general design of switchable MOFs. The switching activity has been delineated based on the cause of the switching: light, spin crossover (SCO), redox, temperature, and wettability.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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