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March, 2022

Metal–organic framework (MOF) glasses have gained significant interest as the first new category of glass reported in 50 years. The properties of these glasses are controlled by their chemical composition. However, the chemical functionality available within MOF glasses currently remains limited. Therefore, new strategies are required to alter the chemistry of these glasses in order to tune their properties. 

In this work, a novel MOF glass was prepared that contained amine functional groups. These reactive amine groups facilitated the incorporation of new chemical functionality into the glass after synthesis. As a prototypical example, the glass was reacted with octyl isocyanate, resulting in the attachment of hydrophobic alkyl chains to the glass surface. Water contact angle measurements revealed an enhancement in the surface hydrophobicity after the modification reaction. This is therefore a promising strategy for tuning the surface properties of MOF glasses. 

Figure caption: Schematic of the glass surface before and after modification (left), and water contact angle measurements before and after modification (right).

 

A. M. Bumstead, I. Pakamorė, K. D. Richards, M. F. Thorne, S. S. Boyadjieva, C. Castillo-Blas, L. N. McHugh, A. F. Sapnik, D. S. Keeble, D. A. Keen, R. C. Evans, R. S. Forgan, and T. D. Bennett. “Post-Synthetic Modification of a Metal–Organic Framework Glass”, Chemistry of Materials (2022)