Siloxanes have long been known for their highly desirable
properties
suited for a wide range of practical applications; however, their
utilization as modular building blocks for crystalline open frameworks
has been limited. In this study, a simple solvothermal pathway has
been found to synthesize unprecedented Zn(II)–siloxane clusters
supported by acetate ligands, [(RSiO2)8Zn8(CH3CO2)8] (R = Me or Ph).
The same reaction using a dicarboxylate ligand such as 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate
or 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate produces a new type of metal–organic
framework, named SiMOF here, based on the [Si8Zn8] units. With the maximum connectivity of 8, the building block is
shown to form topologically interesting structures such as octahedral
supercages or uninodal 8-connected frameworks. All SiMOFs synthesized
possess permanent porosity and high thermal stability and are naturally
hydrophobic, as demonstrated by adsorptions of toluene, ethanol, methanol,
and water vapor as well as water contact angle measurements. These
promising characteristics for well-defined porous solids are attributed
to metal-bound siloxane groups in the structural building units.