Adsorption of Carbon Dioxide on Unsaturated Metal Sites in M₂(dobpdc) Frameworks with Exceptional Structural Stability and Relation between Lewis Acidity and Adsorption Enthalpy

A series of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) M₂(dobpdc) (M=Mn, Co, Ni, Zn; H₄dobpdc=4,4′-dihydroxy-1,1′-biphenyl-3,3′-dicarboxylic acid), with a highly dense arrangement of open metal sites along hexagonal channels were prepared by microwave-assisted or simple solvothermal reactions. The activated materials were structurally expanded when guest molecules including CO₂ were introduced into the pores. The Lewis acidity of the open metal sites varied in the order Mn<Co<Ni>Zn, as confirmed by C=O stretching bands in the IR spectra, which are related to the CO₂ adsorption enthalpy. DFT calculations revealed that the high CO₂ binding affinity of transition-metal-based M₂(dobpdc) is primarily attributable to the favorable charge transfer from CO₂ (oxygen lone pair acting as a Lewis base) to the open metal sites (Lewis acid), while electrostatic effects, the underlying factor responsible for the particular order of binding strength observed across different transition metals, also play a role. The framework stability against water coincides with the order of Lewis acidity. In this series of MOFs, the structural stability of Ni₂(dobpdc) is exceptional; it endured in water vapor, liquid water, and in refluxing water for one month, and the solid remained intact on exposure to solutions of pH 2-13. The DFT calculations also support the experimental finding that Ni₂(dobpdc) has higher chemical stability than the other frameworks.