Oriented Self ‐assembly of Flexible MOFs Nanocrystals into Anisotropic Superstructures with Homogeneous Hydrogels Behaviors

Oriented construction of nanocrystals into MOFs anisotropic superstructure is achieved by molecular self-assembly strategy. Confined interaction between flexible building blocks and hydrogen networks of superstructure realized mismatch transformation of homogeneous hydrogels, possessing superior water adsorption ability (119.73  g g−1) and strong mechanical strength (Young's modulus of 0.3  GPa). AbstractBuilding of metal –organic frameworks (MOFs) homogeneous hydrogels made by spontaneous crystallization remains a significant challenge. Inspired by anisotropically structured materials in nature, an oriented super-assembly strategy to construct micro-scale MOFs superstructure is reported, in which the strong interm olecular interactions between zirconium-oxygen (Zr─O) cluster and glutamic acid are utilized to drive the self-assembly of flexible nanoribbons into pumpkin-like microspheres. The confined effect between water-flexible building blocks and crosslinked hydrogen networks of superstructures achieved a mismatch transformation of MOFs powders into homogeneous hydrogels. Importantly, the elastic and rigid properties of hydrogels can be simply controlled by precise modulation of coordination and self-assembly for anisotropic superstructure. Experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstra tes that MOFs anisotropic superstructure exhibits dynamic double networks with a superior water harvesting capacity (119.73 g g−1) accompanied with heavy metal rem...
Source: Small - Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Tags: Research Article Source Type: research