An Encapsulation-Rearrangement Strategy to Integrate Superhydrophobicity into Mesoporous Metal-Organic Frameworks

Wetting is a common phenomenon widely observed in nature. For example, hydrophobic gates are observed in ion channels and nanopores of cell membranes to control ion transportation. Inspired by nature, materials scientists have developed various superhydrophobic materials with special functions for widespread applications. However, existing coating methods for fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces are mainly limited to nonporous or microporous materials. It is still a big challenge to design porous materials combining superhydrophobicity, high surface area, and large pore sizes. Here, we successfully integrated superhydrophobicity into a mesoporous metal-organic framework system without losing internal porosity. The encapsulation-rearrangement strategy reported in the work greatly expands the possibilities of constructing superhydrophobic materials with high porosity for numerous applications associated with energy and environment.