Photothermal Activation of Metal–Organic Frameworks Using a UV–Vis Light Source

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) usually require meticulous removal of the solvent molecules to unlock their potential porosity. Herein, we report a novel one-step method for activating MOFs based on the photothermal effect induced by directly irradiating them with a UV–vis lamp. The localized light-to-heat conversion produced in the MOF crystals upon irradiation enables a very fast solvent removal, thereby significantly reducing the activation time to as low as 30 min and suppressing the need for time-consuming solvent-exchange procedures and vacuum conditions. This approach is successful for a broad range of MOFs, including HKUST-1, UiO-66–NH2, ZIF-67, CPO-27–M (M = Zn, Ni, and Mg), Fe–MIL-101–NH2, and IRMOF-3, all of which exhibit absorption bands in the light emission range. In addition, we anticipate that this photothermal activation can also be used to activate covalent organic frameworks (COFs).