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Materials chemistry

Selectivity from flexibility

Nature volume 509, pages 434–435 (2014)Cite this article

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Porous materials called metal–organic frameworks hold promise for many applications, including molecular separations. One such material has been discovered that shape-shifts to amplify its selectivity for a target molecule.

One of the most common preconceptions about crystals is that they are rigid. However, this is not necessarily the case for crystals of metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) — crystalline materials in which metal ions are linked by various organic molecules1. Some MOF crystals can flexibly change their crystalline structures when they trap or release molecules. Writing in Angewandte Chemie, Warren et al.2 describe a flexible MOF that reconstructs its molecular framework to selectively recognize different isomers of xylene, an industrially useful compound. The finding provides much-needed insight into how flexible MOFs should be designed to maximize their selectivity for target molecules.

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Figure 1: Pore remodelling enhances molecular recognition.

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  1. Ryotaro Matsuda is at the Institute for Integrated Cell–Material Sciences, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8530, Japan.,

    Ryotaro Matsuda

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  1. Ryotaro Matsuda
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Correspondence to Ryotaro Matsuda.

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Matsuda, R. Selectivity from flexibility. Nature 509, 434–435 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/509434a

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