Synthesis and Exfoliation of a New Layered Mesoporous Zr-MOF Comprising Hexa- and Dodecanuclear Clusters as Well as a Small Organic Linker Molecule

A new layered mesoporous Zr-MOF of composition [Zr₃₀O₂₀(OH)₂₆(OAc)₁₈L₁₈] was synthesized by employing 5-acetamidoisophthalic acid (H₂L) using acetic acid as the solvent. The new MOF, denoted as CAU-45, exhibits a honeycomb structure of stacked layers which comprise both hexa- and dodecanucelar zirconium clusters. Its structure was solved from submicrometer-sized crystals by continuous rotation electron diffraction (cRED). Liquid phase exfoliation and size selection were successfully performed on the material.