High Loading of Air-Sensitive Guest Molecules into Polycrystalline Metal-Organic Framework Hosts.

Loading air-sensitive guest molecules inside polycrystalline metal-organic framework (MOF) hosts is currently a challenging process. In this study, the air-sensitive guest molecule magnesocene (MgCp2) was loaded into two porous MOF hosts, polycrystalline Ni-MOF-74 and NH2-MIL-101(Al), using a gas-phase infiltration process. X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray mapping measurements demonstrated that MgCp2 was successfully loaded inside the three-dimensional pores of NH2-MIL-101(Al) with a maximum loading of 43.1 wt %. MgCp2 was found to cover the outside of Ni-MOF-74 owing to the small one-dimensional channels.