Untangling Complex Redox Chemistry in Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks Using Fourier Transformed Alternating Current Voltammetry

Two zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, ZIF-67 and ZIF-8, were interrogated for their redox properties using Fourier transformed alternating current voltammetry, which revealed that the 2-methylimidazolate ligand is responsible for multiple redox transformations. Further insight was gained by employing discrete tetrahedral complexes, [M­(DMIM)4]2+ (DMIM = 1,2-dimethylimidazole, M = CoII or ZnII) which have similar structural motifs to ZIFs. In this work we demonstrate a multidirectional approach that enables the complex electrochemical behavior of ZIFs to be unraveled.