Direct X-ray observation of trapped CO₂ in a predesigned porphyrinic metal-organic framework.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging microporous materials that are promising for capture and sequestration of CO2 due to their tailorable binding properties. However, it remains a grand challenge to pre-design a MOF with a precise, multivalent binding environment at the molecular level to enhance CO2 capture. Here, we report the design, synthesis, and direct X-ray crystallographic observation of a porphyrinic MOF, UNLPF-2, that contains CO2-specific single molecular traps. Assembled from an octatopic porphyrin ligand with [Co2(COO)4] paddlewheel clusters, UNLPF-2 provides an appropriate distance between the coordinatively unsaturated metal centers, which serve as the ideal binding sites for in situ generated CO2. The coordination of Co(II) in the porphyrin macrocycle is crucial and responsible for the formation of the required topology to trap CO2. By repeatedly releasing and recapturing CO2, UNLPL-2 also exhibits recyclability.