A metalloligand approach for the self-assembly of a magnetic two-dimensional grid-of-grids

Abstract

The efficient organization of discrete functional molecules into extended frameworks, while retaining their physical properties, is a mandatory requisite to move toward applications. Here we describe the validity of the metalloligand design strategy as a versatile and powerful approach to build up a two-dimensional (2D) magnetic metal–organic framework (MOF) composed of preformed discrete antiferromagnetically coupled [3 × 3] Cu9II incomplete grids. In the first stage, a novel oxamato-based nonanuclear copper(II) complex has been self-assembled from the reaction of a polytopic organic ligand, with well-defined coordination pockets, with CuII ions. Then, the nonanuclear complex has been used as metalloligand toward calcium(II) cations to afford a CaII–CuII 2D MOF (1) with a grid-like topology and the magnetic properties of the preformed nonanuclear grids.