Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted enormous scientific interest over the past two decades due to their high crystallinity, exceptional porosity, high modularity, and diverse functionality [1]. The opportunity to achieve functional materials by design with promising properties, unattainable for solid-state materials in general, distinguishes MOFs from any other class of materials, in particular, traditional porous materials, for example, zeolites [2], mesoporous silica [3], and porous carbon [4]. Concepts such as the node and spacer principle [5] are based on simple geometrical analysis, which is facilitated by direct joining of polyhedral or polygonal nodes and linkers to translate their geometry into nets with predictable topology and structure. The obtained crystalline materials represent well-defined structures that allow for studying the design, synthesis, and properties of materials by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Herein, we introduce the concept of secondary building units (SBUs) [1a] as a critical design element for the synthesis of rigid, permanently porous MOFs. Furthermore, the cluster chemistry of copper and zinc is highlighted due to the depth and diversity of their SBU geometries, which allow them to be used in linking with organic units (reticular chemistry) [6]. These will be introduced and exemplified by prominent MOF structures, demonstrating net topologies that have produced numerous functional and expanded frameworks.
Secondary Building Units (SBUs): The Design Principles of MOFsIn contrast to molecular building blocks in general [7], which also include single metal nodes, SBUs are defined as an aggregate of metal ions stitched together by multidentate functional groups, such as carboxylates, into clusters (Figure 3.1) [1a]. The SBU term was coined for MOFs as an analogy to SBUs in zeolite chemistry, which are finite or infinite component units that facilitate the structural diversity The Chemistry of Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications, First Edition. Edited by Stefan Kaskel.