Narrow Results

For the synthesis of new materials and the growth of bulk crystals for specific applications, hydrothermal and solvothermal crystal growth provide a complementary alternative to conventional techniques. Crystals can usually be grown by these specialized techniques at temperatures well below their melting points, providing avenues for the growth of new phases or bulk crystals with a lower thermal strain. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)/coordination polymers (CPs), on account of their tunable structure, porosity and functionality, have been the subject of significant interest for a variety of applications. These materials with interesting structures are often synthesized using carboxylate organic linkers, which have proved to be quite stable under hydro/solvothermal conditions. Hence, in this chapter, we showcase examples of various carboxylate ligand-containing MOFs/CPs fabricated using transition metal ions [e.g., Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II)], lanthanide metal ions [e.g., La(III), Ce(III) and Sm(III)] and tetravalent Zr(IV) metal ions by using hydro/solvothermal reaction conditions. Additionally, in order to better understand the significance of some of the key factors affecting MOFs/CPs construction during the hydro/solvothermal reaction conditions, we also discuss some of the factors, such as solvent, temperature, pH and molar ratio of the reactants, affecting their hydro/solvothermal syntheses.