Chemists engineer porous materials with openings large enough for proteins
In short: Researchers have developed a method to create metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with exceptionally large pore apertures, reaching sizes previously unattainable in this class of materials. By systematically expanding the structural links of a known framework called MOF-74, the team produced a series of structures with openings ranging from 14 to 98 angstroms.
This discovery is significant because it allows for the creation of robust, stable architectures that can accommodate large molecules like natural proteins. The study demonstrated how increasing the length of specific chemical links creates an isoreticular series—materials with the same underlying geometry but different sizes.
The researchers tested these materials for permanent porosity and thermal stability up to 300°C. However, as this was a structural synthesis study, it does not yet detail the specific functional behaviors or biological interactions of proteins within these pores.
Why it matters: Engineered materials can now be designed with precise dimensions to house and interact with large biological molecules.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Research: Deng et al. (2012). Large-Pore Apertures in a Series of Metal-Organic Frameworks. Science.
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