Dynamic Spacer Installation for Multirole Metal–Organic Frameworks: A New Direction toward Multifunctional MOFs Achieving Ultrahigh Methane Storage Working Capacity

A robust Zr-MOF (LIFM-28)
containing replaceable coordination sites
for additional spacer installation has been employed to demonstrate
a swing- or multirole strategy for multifunctional MOFs. Through reversible
installation/uninstallation of two types of spacers with different
lengths and variable functional groups, different tasks can be accomplished
using the same parent MOF. An orthogonal optimizing method is applied
with seven shorter (L1–7) and six longer (L8–13) spacers to tune the functionalities, achieving
multipurpose switches among gas separation, catalysis, click reaction,
luminescence, and particularly, ultrahigh methane storage working
capacity at 5–80 bar and 298 K.