Switchable cooperative CO2 adsorption in multivariate fluorinated MIL-140A(Ce) metal-organic frameworks
Preprint
- 5 August 2026
- preprint
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in ChemRxiv
Abstract
The multivariate approach allows to achieve a controlled degree of structural heterogeneity within metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), offering a powerful means to finely tune the properties of the framework at the molecular level. In this work, we apply this concept to the MIL-140A(Ce) framework to systematically introduce multiple fluorinated terephthalate linkers (F x -BDC 2− ), enabling precise modulation of the cooperative CO 2 adsorption behaviour through the control of the framework’s degree of fluorination. By simultaneously incorporating and varying the nature and content of F x -BDC 2− co-linkers ( x = 1, 2, 3) while maintaining F4-BDC 2− as a fixed component, we synthesised a large library of mixed-linker F4:F x _MIL-140A(Ce) materials, whose nature of solid solutions was demonstrated. Across the series, we found that cooperative CO 2 adsorption occurs above a threshold degree of fluorination of the framework of 75%, independently of fluorine positional isomerism, as demonstrated by the series of o -, m -, and p F2-BDC 2− co-linkers, and is not determined by the content of the perfluorinated linker. The implication of the fluorination threshold on CO 2 /CH 4 selectivity was also assessed, revealing that the onset of CO 2 -induced cooperative adsorption above this threshold is associated with a dramatic increase in selectivity towards CO 2 . Since the degree of fluorination of single-linker MOFs is intrinsically fixed, the mixed-linker strategy represents an effective route to continuously tune the framework’s composition, thereby enabling the establishment of a structural design principle to control the emergence of cooperative CO 2 adsorption.Keywords
All Related Versions
- Published version: Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers, 13 (21), 9162.