Incorporation of mesopores and active sites into metal-organic framework (MOF) materials to uncover new efficient catalysts is a highly desirable but challenging task. We report the first example of a mesoporous MOF obtained by templated electrosynthesis using an ionic liquid as both electrolyte and template. The mesoporous Cu(II)-MOF MFM-100 has been synthesised in 100 seconds at room temperature, and this material incorporates crystal defects with uncoupled Cu(II) centres as evidenced by confocal fluorescence microscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. MFM-100 prepared in this way shows exceptional catalytic activity for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols to produce aldehydes in near quantitative yield and selectivity under mild conditions, as well as having excellent stability and reusability over repeated cycles. The catalyst-substrate binding interactions have been probed by inelastic neutron scattering. This study offers a simple strategy to create mesopores and active sites simultaneously via electrochemical formation of crystal defects to promote efficient catalysis using MOFs.

Selective oxidation of benzylic CÀH compounds to ketones is important for the production of a wide range of fine chemicals, and is often achieved using toxic or precious metal catalysts. Herein, we report the efficient oxidation of benzylic C À H groups in a broad range of substrates under mild conditions over a robust metal-organic framework material, MFM-170, incorporating redox-active [Cu 2 II (O 2 CR) 4 ] paddlewheel nodes. A comprehensive investigation employing electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction has identified the critical role of the paddlewheel moiety in activating the oxidant t BuOOH (tertbutyl hydroperoxide) via partial reduction to [Cu II Cu I -(O 2 CR) 4 ] species.

Understanding the mechanism of assembly and function of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is important for the development of practical materials. Herein, we report a time-resolved diffraction analysis of the kinetics of formation of a robust MOF, MFM-300(Fe), which shows high adsorption capacity for CO2 (9.55 mmol g−1 at 293 K and 20 bar). Applying the Avrami-Erofe’ev and the two-step kinetic Finke-Watzky models to in situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data obtained during the synthesis of MFM-300(Fe) enables determination of the overall activation energy of formation (50.9 kJ mol−1), the average energy of nucleation (56.7 kJ mol−1), and the average energy of autocatalytic growth (50.7 kJ mol−1). The synthesis of MFM-300(Fe) has been scaled up 1000-fold, enabling the successful breakthrough separations of the CO2/N2 mixture in a packed-bed with a selectivity for CO2/N2 of 21.6. This study gives an overall understanding for the intrinsic behaviors of this MOF system, and we have determined directly the binding domains and dynamics for adsorbed CO2 molecules within the pores of MFM-300(Fe).

Selective oxidation of benzylic CÀH compounds to ketones is important for the production of a wide range of fine chemicals, and is often achieved using toxic or precious metal catalysts. Herein, we report the efficient oxidation of benzylic C À H groups in a broad range of substrates under mild conditions over a robust metal-organic framework material, MFM-170, incorporating redox-active [Cu 2 II (O 2 CR) 4 ] paddlewheel nodes. A comprehensive investigation employing electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction has identified the critical role of the paddlewheel moiety in activating the oxidant t BuOOH (tertbutyl hydroperoxide) via partial reduction to [Cu II Cu I -(O 2 CR) 4 ] species.