Melt-Quenched Hybrid Glasses

The recent synthesis of several melt-quenched glasses from hybrid porous frameworks and coordination polymers has added a new category of glass to the existing inorganic non-metallic (e.g. oxide glasses, chalcogenide glasses), organic (polymer), and metallic divisions. Specifically, the melting of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) results in a vitrified molten state consisting of linked inorganic and organic moieties. Courtesy of interchangeable organic and inorganic components, one can now envisage an array of ‘designed’ glass materials, with desired optical, electrical and mechanical properties for future applications, as outlined in this research update.

Figure: The melting of a porous framework of composition [Zn(C₃H₃N₂)₂] which lies close to its temperature of decomposition.