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Rare-earth metal–organic frameworks (RE-MOFs) have garnered significant attention in materials chemistry owing to their structural diversity and programmable functionality. The judicious selection of organic ligands plays a vital role in constructing novel RE-MOF architectures. JLU-MOF207 was constructed by using Y 4 (μ 3 -O) 2 (HCOO) 2 secondary building units (SBUs) with a methanetetrakis( p -biphenylcarboxylate) (H 4 MTBC) ligand and possessed an unprecedented (4, 4, 12) connected topology. Notably, the interweaving of helical Y–O chains and H 4 MTBC ligands within JLU-MOF207 generates ultramicroporous channels (∼ 5 Å diameter), which are decorated with exposed yttrium sites and oxygen-rich environments. JLU-MOF207 exhibits excellent acid, base, solvent, and thermal stability. Due to its confined spaces, multiple open yttrium sites, and oxygen donors in the helical ultramicroporous channels, JLU-MOF207 displays pronounced C 3 H 6 /C 2 H 4 separation selectivity (9.6 at 298 K) and excellent production of 2-benzylidenemalononitrile with 99% yield from benzaldehyde and malononitrile at ambient temperature. The recorded turnover number (TON = 660) and turnover frequency (TOF = 5.5 min –1 ) surpass those of most reported MOF-based catalysts for Knoevenagel condensation. This study demonstrates that rational ligand design enables the construction of Y-MOF with dual functionality, providing new perspectives for developing multifunctional porous materials in gas separation and heterogeneous catalysis applications.
Si et al. (Tue,) studied this question.