Pillared-bilayer porous coordination polymers of Zn(ii): enhanced hydrophobicity of pore surface by changing the pillar functionality

Abstract

Two new isostructural porous coordination polymers of Zn(II) {[Zn₂(NH₂-bdc)₂(4-bpdb)]·(H₂O)₄}_n (1) and {[Zn₂(NH₂-bdc)₂(4-bpdh)]·(H₂O)₄}_n (2) [4-bpdb = 1,4-bis-(4-pyridyl)-2,3-diaza-1,3-butadiene, 4-bpdh = 2,5-bis-(4-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene and NH₂-bdc = 5-amino-1,3-benzenedicarboxylate] have been synthesized using a mixed ligand system by solvent diffusion and structurally characterized through single crystal X-ray diffraction, variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. Both the coordination polymers are constructed using linear Schiff base linkers of similar length having N–N base functionalities but the only difference is the presence of methyl groups in adjacent carbon atoms of the N–N group in the 4-bpdh ligand. Single-crystal structure analysis revealed that both compounds 1 and 2 have two-dimensional (2D) pillared-bilayer framework structures containing 1D channels (8.3 × 3.8 Ų for 1 and 8.0 × 1.6 Ų for 2) filled with lattice water molecules. Channel dimensions in 2 decrease due to the presence of methyl groups. The desolvated frameworks of 1 and 2 are rigid which is evidenced by variable temperature PXRD. Both the compounds show type-I CO₂ uptake profiles and the differences in CO₂ adsorption uptakes have been corroborated to their void space (27.1% for 1 and 17.1% for 2). Desolvated forms of compound 1 exhibit remarkably high water adsorption capacity even at low vapor pressure whereas desolvated forms of compound 2 show very low water vapor uptake, which could be ascribed to the hydrophobic nature of the pore surface of 2.