Structural induction effect of a zwitterion pyridiniumolate for metal−organic frameworks

It is still an enormous challenge to obtain the metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with specific properties by tuning their structures. Here we first reported that the structures of MOFs could be tuned by adding certain amount of zwitterion pyridiniumolate. To demonstrate the inductive effect, two series of assembly experiments were performed using different metal ions, namely, Cd(II) and Mn(II). The experimental results revealed that the zwitterion pyridiniumloate only acted as a structural induction agent (SIA), which did not exist in the aimed compounds. The SIAs could effectively tune the framework aperture or promote coordination and further tune the properties of MOFs without any removal or exchange after the synthesis. Therefore, the results could not only immensely expand the syntheses and structural diversity of MOFs with the fixed metal ions and organic ligands but also afford the possibility and effective convenience for tuning the properties of MOFs in the functional material research fields.