Design and Synthesis of a Zeolitic Organic Framework

The development of novel zeolite-like materials with large channel windows and high stability is of importance but remains a tremendous challenge. Herein, we report the first example of a 3D covalent organic framework with zeolitic network, namely the zeolitic organic framework (ZOF). By combining two kinds of tetrahedral building blocks with fixed or relatively free bond angles, ZOF-1 with the zeolitic crb net has been successfully synthesized. Its structure was determined by the single-crystal 3D electron diffraction technique. Remarkably, ZOF-1 shows high chemical stability, large pore size (up to 16 angstrom), and excellent specific surface area (approximate to 2785 m(2) g(-1)), which is superior to its analogues with the same network, including traditional aluminosilicate zeolites and zeolitic imidazole frameworks. This study thus opens a new avenue to construct zeolite-like materials with pure organic frameworks and will promote their potential applications in adsorption and catalysis for macromolecules.