Lanthanide–organic frameworks for gas storage and as magneto-luminescent materials

Smart and careful design strategies need to be adopted for the synthesis of lanthanide–organic framework materials to strike a balance between the high coordination requirement of lanthanide metal ions and the formation of stable and permanently porous structures. Literature reports have documented successful synthesis of such porous lanthanide frameworks with potential application for gas storage. Lanthanide–organic frameworks have also shown promise in a number of magento-luminescent applications. The diverse emission profiles of the lanthanide ions have resulted in tuning the emission colour to generate white-light as well as sense a host of cations, anions and small molecules alike. The permanent porosity has also been used to apply these frameworks as gas storage and separation materials. The exciting magnetic property of the lanthanide–organic frameworks arises from the high orbital contribution and single-ion anisotropy of the lanthanide ions. This eventually ushers the slow relaxation of magnetization with high energy barrier making such systems potential candidates for future magnetic sensory and memory devices. This review will discuss the porous properties of lanthanide–organic frameworks and the progress in utilizing them in gas storage and sensing properties. Colour tunability, white-light emission and magnetic properties in lanthanide–organic frameworks have also been discussed. In conclusion, an overall summary of the properties of these materials and future outlook will be proposed.