Ordered assembly of two different metal clusters with the same topological connectivity in one single coordination network

Abstract

The introduction of heterogeneous components within one single coordination network leads to the multifunctionality of the final material. However, it is hard to precisely control the local distribution of these different components in such a coordination network, especially for different components with identical topological connectivity. In this study, we successfully achieved the ordered assembly of [Mn₃(μ₃-O)] nodes and [Mn₆(μ₃-O)₂(CH₃COO)₃] nodes within one pacs coordination network. The resulting new structure (NPU-6) with heterogeneous metal nodes simultaneously inherits the advantages of both parent networks (good thermal stability and high pore volume). The significant effect of the reaction concentration of competing ligand CH₃COO⁻ on the mixed assembly of these two nodes in NPU-6 is revealed by a series of control experiments. This method is anticipated to offer a valuable reference for orderly assembling heterogeneous components in coordination networks.