Solvent‐mediated single‐crystal‐to‐single‐crystal transformation of metal–organic cage self‐assembly

Metal–organic polyhedra (MOPs) are intrinsically porous cage-like structures; however, they frequently display low porosity due to their agglomeration caused by solvent exchange and removal, which results in the blockage of pore windows. This study presents unprecedented single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation a cuboctahedral MOP-OH ([Cu24L24], H2L = 5-hydroxybenzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid) using simple from coordinating N,N-diethylformamide weakly chloroform. Following exchange, interaction between cages resultant MOP self-assembly is strengthened while solvents decreased. The N2 uptake surface areas MOPs highly correlated with cage arrangements: tightly packed chloroform most among prepared samples, whereas loosely less porous. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that tight packing prevents crystals being deteriorating during removal.