We introduce the concept of “waste-to-MOFs” as a decisive step for potential MOF industrial commercialization and solid/liquid waste utilization.

Metal-organic cages (MOCs) represent a tantalizing class of metal-organic materials (MOMs) in terms of host-guest binding ability related to their well-defined cavities and engineered pores. Herein, we highlight the synthesis of MOCs and their post-assembly modification (PAM) reactions. Unlike discrete MOCs, infinite cage-based frameworks, that use MOCs as supramolecular building blocks (SBBs) will be discussed. Finally, we address the solubility and stability of MOCs as significant prerequisites for favoring the high-order assembly into extended structures.

Here we report a new sensor Tb_97.11Eu_2.89-L1 that enables ratiometric detection of trace water in CH₃CN. As the water content increases from 0% to 2.5% (v/v%), Tb_97.11Eu_2.89-L1 exhibits an excellent linear relationship between the water content and I₅₄₃/I₆₁₅, as well as variable emissive light colors visible to the naked eye.

Although porous organic cages (POCs), particularly imine-linked (CN) ones, have advanced significantly over the last few decades, the reversible nature of imine linkages makes them prone to hydrolysis and structural collapse, severely limiting their applications under moist or water conditions. Herein, seven water-stable hydrazone-linked (CN–N) POCs are prepared through a simple coupling of the same supramolecular tetraformylresorcin[4]arene cavitand with different dihydrazide linkers. Their structures are all determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, demonstrating rich structural diversity from the [2 + 4] lantern, [3 + 6] triangular prism, and unprecedented [4 + 8] square prism to the extra-large [6 + 12] octahedron. In addition, they respectively exhibit tunable window diameters and cavity volumes ranging from about 5.4 to 11.1 nm and 580 to 6800 ų. Moreover, their application in the water environment for pollutant removal was explored, indicating that they can effectively eliminate various types of contaminants from water, including radionuclide waste, toxic heavy metal ions, and organic micropollutants. This work demonstrates a convenient method for rationally constructing versatile robust POCs and presents their great application potentialities in water medium.

Two calix[4]resorcinarene-based chiral POCs with different self-assembly forms were constructed. The difference in the spatial distribution of chiral organocatalytic sites leads to the two chiral POCs exhibiting distinct stereoselectivities.