Open framework solids have great potential for many technological applications, and the synthesis of such materials is the subject of much research activity around the globe. These materials are often made using organic 'building blocks' which self assemble with metal ions to form three dimensional networks. 

In his CrystEngComm Highlight article, Professor Goldberg (Tel Aviv University, Israel) discussed the progress made in this area using porphyrins as the organic building blocks. Porphyrins are ideal for this use, as this class of molecule exhibits a wide range of topology, allowing many different frameworks to be made, and they are readily modified with funcational groups at different sites within their molecular structure molecule. 

The size of the pores in the open framework can be adjusted, by careful selection of the porphyrin building block, and it is this property of these materials that accounts for their huge potential. 'Of particular interest are metal-organic frameworks with a large pore surface area for hydrogen and methane storage, systems with open metal sites for heterogeneous catalysis, as well as light-sensitive structures for sensing applications,' says Goldberg. 

Nanoporous architectures and chiral porphyrin assemblies