Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as safer, structurally reinforced energetics

Second-generation cobalt and zinc coordination architectures were obtained through efforts to stabilize extremely sensitive and energetic transition-metal hydrazine perchlorate ionic polymers. Partial ligand substitution by the tridentate hydrazinecarboxylate anion afforded polymeric 2D-sheet structures never before observed for energetic materials. Carefully balanced reaction conditions allowed the retention of the noncoordinating perchlorate anion in the presence of a strongly chelating hydrazinecarboxylate ligand. High-quality X-ray single-crystal structure determination revealed that the metal coordination preferences lead to different structural motifs and energetic properties, despite the nearly isoformulaic nature of the two compounds. Energetic tests indicate highly decreased sensitivity and DFT calculations suggest a high explosive performance for these remarkable structures.