On-Surface Fabrication Of Bimetallic Metal-Organic Frameworks Through The Synergy And Competition Among Noncovalent Interactions

Two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (2D-MOFs) are attracting more attention due to their unique properties. Various 2D-MOF structures have been fabricated on surfaces in which either only one kind of metal was incorporated or only one kind of noncovalent interaction was involved in a bimetallic network. However, 2D-MOFs involving different kinds of noncovalent interactions and multiple metal components are more complex and less predictable. Here, we choose the uracil (U) molecule together with alkali metals [sodium (Na) and cesium (Cs)] and a transition metal [iron (Fe)] as model systems and successfully construct two kinds of bimetallic 2D-MOFs through the synergy and competition among noncovalent interactions, which is revealed by the high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy imaging and density functional theory calculations. Such a systematic study may help to improve our fundamental understanding of the interaction mechanism of noncovalent bonds and, moreover, lead to further investigations of the unprecedented functions of surface-supported 2D-MOF structures.