Interfacial bonding between a crystalline metal-organic framework and an inorganic glass

The interface within a composite is critically important for the chemical and physical properties of these materials. However, experimental structural studies of the interfacial regions within metal-organic framework (MOF) composites are extremely challenging. Here, we provide the first example of a new MOF composite family, i.e. using an inorganic glass matrix host in place of the commonly used organic polymers. Crucially, we also decipher atom-atom interactions at the interface. Specifically, we dispersed ZIF-8 within a phosphate glass matrix, and identified interactions at the interface using several different analysis methods of pair distribution function (PDF) and multinuclear multidimensional magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. These demonstrated glass-ZIF atom-atom correlations. Additionally, carbon dioxide uptake and stability tests were also performed to check the increment of the surface area and the stability and durability of the material in different media. This opens up the possibility to create new composites including the intrinsic chemical properties of the constituent MOFs and inorganic glasses.