Lanthanoids in the metal-organic frameworks: A new class of porous materials.

Abstract

Lanthanoid organic frameworks (LOFs) stand out as an important class of functional materials. The possibility to employ a great range of metals and ligands lead to the formation of varied and highly porous structures, with diverse applications. The presence of lanthanoid ions favours the improvement of the optical, magnetic and redox properties of MOFs. This review aims to demonstrate the state of the art of LOFs, emphasizing the chemical properties of trivalent lanthanoid ions and the carboxylic based-ligands used in their construction, as well as the main characterization methods and outstanding applications as gas storage, permanent magnets, catalysis, luminescence, drug delivery and so on.