Using water as the sole solvent, the bifunctional molecule tetrakis(methylthio)-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (TMBD) was reacted with Cu(CHCN)BF to form a robust microporous metal-organic framework (MOF, CityU-7) featuring Cu(I) ions being simultaneously bonded to the carboxyl and thioether donors. The MOF solid is stable in air and can be easily activated by heating, without the need for treatment with organic solvents. The subnanoscopic pores (ca. 0.6 nm) of the host net allow for uptake of CO and HO but exhibit lesser sorption for N at 77 K. The microporous net can also be penetrated by I molecules.

microparticles have been obtained through the combination of layer-by-layer deposition and epitaxial growth methods. These hybrid materials maintain the catalytic property compared with MIL-100(Fe), while they own variable specific surface areas and pore volumes.