Network structures based upon metal-organic backbones represent a new class of functional materials that can be rationally constructed by employing the concepts of supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering. The modularity of design strategies, the diversity of prototypal structures, and the dynamic features of networks have afforded great advantages over traditional materials syntheses. The research presented in this thesis is primarily concerned with developing an in-depth understanding of the basic principles that govern the supramolecular behaviors of metal-organic networks and gaining an experimental control over the structure and function of these new classes of hybrid materials.The use of rigid and angular organic ligands along with transition metal clusters gives rise to a wide variety of novel metal-organic architectures ranging from zero-dimensional nanostructures to three-dimensional frameworks. Conformational analysis of these structural models suggests the geometric foundations for the existence of superstructural diversity. Controlled crystallization experiments further reveal the synthetic factors that might determine the formation of supramolecular isomers.Careful selection of more labile organic components, on the other hand, leads to flexible metal-organic networks exhibiting dynamic characteristics that have not been observed in their rigid counterparts. The guest-dependent closing/opening of cavities and the ease of fine-tuning their chemical environments demonstrate the effectiveness of such a strategy in the context of generating tailored functional materials.

This dissertation endeavors to delineate practical paradigms for crystal engineering based upon the understanding of supramolecular chemistry and self-assembly, i.e. the design and synthesis of novel functional crystalline materials. Two basic metal-organic building units, Zn(RCO2)2(py)2 and (L2)M2(RCO2)4 (M = Zn, Cu), as well as nano-scaled secondary building units (nSBUs) that are constructed from Cu2(RCO2)4 are researched and discussed. Design strategies have been developed to propagate these metal-organic synthons into predictable coordination polymer networks. A series of crystal structures, as well as their syntheses and characterization, are presented. This work demonstrates that supramolecular structures can be designed from pre-selected molecular precursors with the consideration of chemical functionalities and geometrical arrangements. The design strategy represents a practical paradigm for the construction of porous materials as well as interesting networks with special topologies. The modular nature of these metal-organic building units introduces a broad impact on the discovery of novel coordination compounds with potential useful properties.

Network structures based upon metal-organic backbones represent a new class of functional materials that can be rationally constructed by employing the concepts of supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering. The modularity of design strategies, the diversity of prototypal structures, and the dynamic features of networks have afforded great advantages over traditional materials syntheses. The research presented in this dissertation is primarily concerned with developing an in-depth understanding of the basic principles that govern the supramolecular behaviors of metal-organic frameworks and gaining an experimental control over the structure and function of these new classes of hybrid materials. The use of rigid and angular organic ligands along with transition metal clusters gives rise to a wide variety of novel metal-organic architectures ranging from zero-dimensional nanostructures to three-dimensional frameworks. Gas sorption experiments suggest some of these compounds are potentially useful as porous materials. Conformational analysis of these structural models reveals geometrical foundations for the existence of superstructural diversity. Controlled crystallization experiments further indicate synthetic factors that might determine the formation of supramolecular isomers. On the other hand, careful selection of more labile organic components leads to flexible metal-organic frameworks exhibiting dynamic characteristics that have not been observed in their rigid counterparts. The guest-dependent switch-on/off of cavities and the ease of fine-tuning their chemical environments demonstrate the effectiveness of such a strategy in the context of generating tailored functional materials. Discovery and recognition of novel three-periodic metal-organic nets remains a nontrivial exercise. In this context, rigorous topological analysis assists the understanding of complicated nets and application of geometrical principles facilitates desing of new metal-organic structures. Finally, scaled-up metal-organic frameworks are potentially accessible with the aid of existing prototypal structures and a systematic study on ligand design.