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  • Review Article
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Direct synthesis of amorphous coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks

Nature Reviews Chemistry volume 7, pages 273–286 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Coordination polymers (CPs) and their subset, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), can have porous structures and hybrid physicochemical properties that are useful for diverse applications. Although crystalline CPs and MOFs have received the most attention to date, their amorphous states are of growing interest as they can be directly synthesized under mild conditions. Directly synthesized amorphous CPs (aCPs) can be constructed from a wider range of metals and ligands than their crystalline and crystal-derived counterparts and demonstrate numerous unique material properties, such as higher mechanical robustness, increased stability and greater processability. This Review examines methods for the direct synthesis of aCPs and amorphous MOFs, as well as their properties and characterization routes, and offers a perspective on the opportunities for the widespread adoption of directly synthesized aCPs.

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Fig. 1: Routes to directly synthesize aCPs and amorphous metal−organic frameworks.
Fig. 2: Flexible and/or asymmetric ligands for directly synthesizing aCPs and aMOFs.
Fig. 3: Templating and seeding strategies for the direct synthesis of aCPs and aMOFs.
Fig. 4: Controlling material properties of MOFs using seeding agents.
Fig. 5: Transitioning between aCPs and crystalline CPs through solvent choice.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) through the Discovery Project (DP200100713) scheme. J.J.R. acknowledges JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 20F20373 and JSPS Fellowship P20373 and is a recipient of an ARC Future Fellowship (project number FT210100669). F.C. acknowledges the award of a National Health and Medical Research Council Senior Principal Research Fellowship (GNT1135806). The authors thank B. Abrahams for helpful discussions.

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Zhixing Lin, Joseph J. Richardson.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Zhixing Lin, Joseph J. Richardson, Jiajing Zhou & Frank Caruso

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Lin, Z., Richardson, J.J., Zhou, J. et al. Direct synthesis of amorphous coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks. Nat Rev Chem 7, 273–286 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-023-00474-1

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