Volume 225, 2021

Exploring cooperative porosity in organic cage crystals using in situ diffraction and molecular simulations

Abstract

A porous organic cage crystal, α-CC2, shows unexpected adsorption of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) in its cage cavities: analysis of the static crystal structure indicates that SF6 is occluded, as even the smallest diatomic gas, H2, is larger than the window of the cage pore. Herein, we use in situ powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) experiments to provide unequivocal evidence for the presence of SF6 inside the ‘occluded’ cage voids, pointing to a mechanism of dynamic flexibility of the system. By combining PXRD results with molecular dynamics simulations, we build a molecular level picture of the cooperative porosity in α-CC2 that facilitates the passage of SF6 into the cage voids.

Graphical abstract: Exploring cooperative porosity in organic cage crystals using in situ diffraction and molecular simulations

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
11 2 2020
Accepted
30 3 2020
First published
31 3 2020

Faraday Discuss., 2021,225, 100-117

Exploring cooperative porosity in organic cage crystals using in situ diffraction and molecular simulations

L. Chen, Y. Che, A. I. Cooper and S. Y. Chong, Faraday Discuss., 2021, 225, 100 DOI: 10.1039/D0FD00022A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements