Developments in the discovery, synthesis, and characterization of RE(iii)-UiO-66 and its structural analogues

Abstract

New metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are continuously being designed and discovered. As new MOFs emerge in the literature, they are catalogued according to different features, such as the nature of their metal nodes or linkers, structural arrangement, or physical properties, to name a few. In this highlight, developments in the history, synthesis, and characterization of a rare-earth cluster-based MOF with fcu net, specifically RE-UiO-66, are discussed including analogues with substituted terephthalic acid linkers. Examples demonstrating the photophysical properties of these MOFs are included to highlight their potential applications related to photoluminescence such as white light emission and temperature sensing.