Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have garnered significant attention in recent decades due to their versatile properties stemming from well-defined three-dimensional porous structures and diverse chemical functionalities. The unique chemical nature of these materials, based on coordination bonding, often renders them susceptible to chemical etching, which can alter their porous architecture, chemical composition, and original morphology. However, judiciously controlled chemical etching offers a powerful approach to fine-tune the hierarchical structure and chemical properties of MOFs, thereby imparting novel functionalities to the resulting materials. Consequently, the controlled chemical etching of MOFs and the exploration of applications for the derived products have become a focal point of research. This review provides a concise overview of three key aspects: strategies for achieving controlled etching, the resulting chemical structures and morphologies of the etched MOFs, and representative applications of these derived materials across several fields. Ligand replacement and scissoring will be highlighted as prominent methods for achieving well-controlled chemical etching. In discussing the chemical structures and morphologies of etched MOFs, we will focus on materials exhibiting meso- or macropores, hollow or yolk-shell structures, and those transformed into amorphous phases or layered double hydroxides (LDHs). Finally, the review will showcase applications of the etched materials in catalysis, electrochemistry, adsorption and separation, and biomedicine.
在碱性溶液作为刻蚀剂的配体取代化学刻蚀方法中,碱及其相应的强碱弱酸盐都可作为刻蚀剂。Abney等[46]使用NaOH和Na3PO4分别对UiO-66和Mil-125进行刻蚀,MOFs中的配体被氧原子或磷酸根取代,最终分别形成了同貌异构的多氧化物 (如ZrO x ) 和多磷酸氧化物 (如TiO x (PO4) y 纳米粒子)。刻蚀后的产物仍保留了MOFs颗粒的多面体形貌,这一过程也被称为“同貌异构”。然而,刻蚀产物颗粒表面有一定程度的破碎,且内部结构变得较为松散。Zhou等[53]使用氢氧化钾的乙醇溶液对Ni基MOF[Ni2(OH)2(BDC)] 形成的纳米薄片阵列进行刻蚀,制得了富含缺陷的纳米薄片阵列。如图4所示,该MOF由BDC配体连接二维镍氧化层形成,在刻蚀过程中,OH-的进攻使得层间Ni—O键断裂,在镍原子处形成了开放的不饱和位点,且引入了K+。随后,OH-与这些开放位点结合,形成Ni—O(OH) 键。在此过程中,MOFs在保留原有拓扑结构的同时被赋予了更丰富的化学活性位点,且引入的K+使得材料的电导率大幅提升。
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