title: Probing the structural flexibility of MOFs by constructing metal oxide@MOF-based heterostructures for size-selective photoelectrochemical response.
abstract: It is becoming a challenge to achieve simpler characterization and wider application of flexible metal organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibiting the gate-opening or breathing behavior. Herein, we designed an intelligent MOF-based system where the gate-opening or breathing behavior of MOFs can be facially visualized in solution. Two types of metal oxide@MOF core-shell heterostructures, ZnO@ZIF-7 and ZnO@ZIF-71, were prepared using ZnO nanorods as self-sacrificial templates. The structural flexibility of both the MOFs can be easily judged from the distinct molecular-size-related formation modes and photoelectrochemical performances between the two ZnO@ZIF heterostructures. Moreover, the rotational dynamics of the flexible parts of ZIF-7 were studied by analyzing the intrinsic physical properties, such as dielectric constants, of the structure. The present work reminds us to pay particular attention to the influences of the structural flexibility of MOFs on the structure and properties of MOF-involved heterostructures in future studies.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces & Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, P. R. China. qkuang@xmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wenwen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Jiangbin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Luning
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiangjian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Haixia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Kuang
authors.forename: Zhaoxiong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Lansun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zheng