Guest‐Stimulated Nonplanar Porphyrins in Flexible Metal−Organic Frameworks

Nonplanar porphyrins with out‐of‐plane distortions play crucial roles in many biological functions and chemical applications. The artificial construction of nonplanar porphyrins usually involves organic synthesis and modification, which is a highly comprehensive approach. However, incorporating porphyrins into guest‐stimulated flexible systems allows to manipulate the porphyrin distortion through simple ad/desorption of guest molecules. Here, a series of porphyrinic zirconium metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) is reported that exhibit guest‐stimulated breathing behavior. X‐Ray diffraction analysis and skeleton deviation plots confirm that the material suffers from porphyrin distortion to form a ruffled geometry under the desorption of guest molecules. Further investigation reveals that not only the degree of nonplanarity can be precisely manipulated but also the partial distortion of porphyrin in a single crystal grain can be readily achieved. As Lewis acidic catalyst, the MOF with nonplanar Co‐porphyrin exhibits active properties in catalyzing CO2/propylene oxide coupling reactions. This porphyrin distortion system provides a powerful tool for manipulating nonplanar porphyrins in MOFs with individual distortion profiles for various advanced applications. A series of flexible Zr‐porphyrin metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) are prepared to exhibit a guest‐stimulated breathing behavior. The structure of Zr‐porphyrin MOF suffers from porphyrin distortion to form a ruffled geometry due to the crystal packing forces under the desorption of guest molecules. The MOF with nonplanar Co‐porphyrin exhibits enhanced performance in the catalysis of CO2/propylene oxide coupling reaction.