Unconventional Method for Fabricating Valence Tautomeric Materials: Integrating Redox Center within a Metal–Organic Framework

Due to the structural advantages displayed by Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), integrating Valence Tautomerism (VT) systems within MOFs could be an effective strategy in order to break through the constraints of the traditional ones. Herein, we report the first successful integration of a VT system into a MOF termed VT-MOF-1. The structural characteristics of VT-MOF-1, such as dinuclear cobalt-catechol clusters and solvent-accessible pores, are both innovative and novel, potentially yielding new vitality within VT field. In addition, VT-MOF-1 exhibits specific behaviors responsive to temperature and different solvent molecules as n-butanol, tert-butanol, and isopropyl alcohol. The entropy values and configurations of the solvent molecules might be responsible for the tunable sensing behaviors.