Recent advances in ionic metal-organic frameworks: Design, synthesis, and application

Ionic metal-organic frameworks (I-MOFs) are porous crystalline materials with either positively or negatively charged frameworks. The nanosized and charged pores in these ionic architectures provide a strong interaction between the host and guest molecules including enhanced adsorption towards small gases and solvent molecules. Via ion exchange, I-MOFs can be easily modified and accommodate other charged guest molecules, making them an ideal platform for different applications as functional materials. The present review discusses the most recent advances in I-MOFs. The design strategies based on both charged organic linkers and inorganic clusters are summarized. Additionally, several applications of I-MOFs including gas and small molecule’s adsorption, chemical sensing, proton conductors, photonics, and catalysis are described.