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Shaping Microcrystals of Metal–Organic Frameworks by Reaction–Diffusion
Author(s) -
Park Jun Heuk,
Paczesny Jan,
Kim Namhun,
Grzybowski Bartosz A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201910989
Subject(s) - crystallite , metal organic framework , diffusion , precipitation , crystal growth , metal , materials science , chemical engineering , chemical physics , crystal (programming language) , nanotechnology , chemistry , crystallography , organic chemistry , metallurgy , thermodynamics , adsorption , programming language , physics , meteorology , computer science , engineering
When components of a metal–organic framework (MOF) and a crystal growth modulator diffuse through a gel medium, they can form arrays of regularly‐spaced precipitation bands containing MOF crystals of different morphologies. With time, slow variations in the local concentrations of the growth modulator cause the crystals to change their shapes, ultimately resulting in unusual concave microcrystallites not available via solution‐based methods. The reaction–diffusion and periodic precipitation phenomena 1) extend to various types of MOFs and also MOPs (metal–organic polyhedra), and 2) can be multiplexed to realize within one gel multiple growth conditions, in effect leading to various crystalline phases or polycrystalline formations.