HKUST-1


HKUST-1, which is also called MOF-199, is a material in the class of metal-organic frameworks. Metal-organic frameworks are crystalline materials, in which metals are linked by ligands to form repeating coordination motives extending in three dimensions. The HKUST-1 framework is build up of dimeric metal units, which are connected by benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate linker molecules. The paddlewheel unit is the commonly used structural motiv to describe the coordination environment of the metal centers and also called secondary building unit of the HKUST-1 structure. The paddlewheel is build up of four benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate linkers molecules, which bridge two metal centers. One water molecules is coordinated to each of the two metal centers at the axial position of the paddlewheel unit in the hydrated state, which is usually found if the material is handled in air. After an activation process, these water molecules can be removed and the coordination site at the metal atoms is left unoccupied. This unoccupied coordination site is called coordinatively unsaturated site and can be accessed by other molecules.

Structural analogs

Monometallic HKUST-1 analogs

Cu2+ was used as metal center in the first synthesized HKUST-1 material, but the HKUST-1 structure was also obtained with other metals. The oxidation state of most used metals is +II, which results in a neutral overall framework. In the case of trivalent metals, the overall framework is positively charged and requires anions to compensate the charge and guarantee charge neutrality.
Metal center and
oxidation state
Year of first
publication
Alternative
name
Citation
Cu2+1999Cu3BTC2
CuBTC
Mo2+2006TUDMOF-1
Fe2+/3+2007
Cr2+2010
Ni2+2011
Zn2+2011
Ru2+/3+2011
Mn2+2012
Fe2+2012
Co2+2012
Fe3+2014
Ru2+2016
Fe2+2019

Mixed-metal HKUST-1 analogs

In addition to monometallic HKUST-1 analogs, several mixed-metal HKUST-1 materials were synthesized, in which two metals are incorporated into the framework structure at crystallographically equivalent positions. The incorporation of two metals can be achieved by using both metals for the synthesis or by using post-synthetic metal-exchange. For the post-synthetic metal exchange, a monometallic HKUST-1 material is synthesized in the first step. Subsequently, this monometallic HKUST-1 is suspended in a solution containing the second metal, which results in an exchange of metal centers in the framework leading to a mixed-metal HKUST-1.
Metal centers and
oxidation states
Metal ratios
Synthesis methodCitation
Cu2+ / Zn2+0.99 : 0.01Direct synthesis
Cu2+ / Zn2+0.99 : 0.01
0.97 : 0.03
0.95 : 0.05
0.90 : 0.10
0.79 : 0.21
Direct synthesis
Cu2+ / Zn2+0.95 : 0.05
0.90 : 0.10
Direct synthesis
ball milling
Cu2+ / Ni2+0.70 : 0.30
0.50 : 0.50
0.20 : 0.80
Direct synthesis
Cu2+ / Ru3+0.92 : 0.08Direct synthesis
Cu2+ / Ag+not reportedPost-synthetic metal-exchange
Cu2+ / Mn2+0.94 : 0.06Post-synthetic metal-exchange
Cu2+ / Fe2+0.86 : 0.14Post-synthetic metal-exchange
Cu2+ / Co2+0.74 : 0.26Post-synthetic metal-exchange
Cu2+ / Pd2+0.91 : 0.09
0.86 : 0.14
0.80 : 0.20
Direct synthesis
Cu2+ / Pd2+0.81 : 0.19
0.59 : 0.41
Direct synthesis
Ru2+/3+ / Rh2+0.95 : 0.05
0.89 : 0.11
0.79 : 0.21
0.47 : 0.53
0.24 : 0.76
0.03 : 0.97
Direct synthesis
Cu2+ / Fe3+0.69 : 0.31Direct synthesis
Cu2+ / Zn2+ / Mo6+0.80 : 0.15 : 0.05
0.70 : 0.15 : 0.15
0.55 : 0.15 : 0.30
Direct synthesis
ball milling

Theoretically calculated HKUST-1 analogs

Several HKUST-1 analogs have already been synthesized, but several research groups have investigated the properties of the HKUST-1 structure by means of theoretical calculations. For this purpose, additional metal centers were incorporated into the framework on the theoretical level, which have not been used for the synthesis. Theoretical study on a mixed-metal HKUST-1 containing Cu in combination with various other metals were also reported, of which several metal combinations have not been synthesized.