Metal@MOF: Perspectives of metal organic open frameworks as novel host matrices for imbedding functional nanoparticles

The imbedding of typical metal-organic precursor molecules and their subsequent conversion to functional nanoclusters and particles inside the cavities of the MOF-5 matrix were studied. In contrast to wet impregnation techniques, gas phase loading via MOCVD precursors appears as the method of choice to load the Metal-Organic open Framework coordination polymers with a huge variety of precursor molecules. The preparation and characterization of those well defined inclusion compounds "precursor@MOF" and the corresponding functional nano-composite materials Metal@MOF were presented with special emphasis on their perspectives in heterogeneous catalysis, i.e., based on explicit examples such as Cu@MOF-5 for methanol synthesis from synthesis gas. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 231st ACS National Meeting (Atlanta, GA 3/26-30/2006).