Abstract: Discovering new methods to tailor the physical and chemical properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for their numerous potential applications is highly desired. In this work, engineering defects in MOF via a molecular imprinting approach is developed to endow HKUST-1, a well-studied classical MOF, with hierarchical structure, mesoporosity, and anionic framework property. Ringlike anionic HKUST-1 (HKUST-1-R) and a wide variety of metal-doped isostructural analogues (M/HKUST-1-R, M = Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Li, Mn, Na, Ni, or Zn) are obtained. The benefits of transforming imprinted HKUST-1-R to M/HKUST-1-R are further demonstrated for various applications. This synthetic strategy is therefore suitable for rational design and functionalization of MOFs in addition to their morphological control in nanoscale
Author keywords: Doping, hierarchical structures, Metal-organic frameworks