Guillem-Navajas A, Torrico-García-Viso L, Suárez Del Pino JA, Aramburu-Merino N, Segovia P, Michel EG, Puigmartí-Luis J, Velasco E, Tarazona P, Maspoch D, Rodríguez-San-Miguel D, Zamora F. COFs on MOFs: Layer-by-Layer Synthesis of MOF@COF Nanoparticles with Synergistic Adsorption. Adv Mater. 2026 Sep;38(51):e14548. doi: 10.1002/adma.202514548. Epub 2025 Nov 19. PMID: 41255152; PMCID: PMC13568877.
Synergistic effects between porous materials offer a powerful route to enhance key functionalities such as adsorption, catalysis, and molecular transport. In this context, the combination of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) provides a promising platform for engineering hybrid adsorbents with synergistic sorption behavior. Here, a versatile layer-by-layer strategy is presented for the controlled growth of crystalline COF shells on MOF nanoparticles, yielding uniform MOF@COF nanocomposites as stable aqueous colloids. This approach enables precise tuning of shell thickness and porosity under mild conditions. The resulting core-shell hybrids exhibit enhanced water adsorption, driven by the formation of interfacial mesopores. Modeling studies indicate that a minimum number of COF growth cycles is necessary to induce these mesopores, which interconnect with the intrinsic micropores of the COF shell and facilitate synergistic uptake. This work presents a scalable and modular approach to creating porous hybrid nanoparticles with programmable interfacial architectures and enhanced sorption performance.
Keywords: covalent organic frameworks; interphases; metal–organic frameworks; nanocomposites; synergistic molecular adsorption; water adsorption.
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