A Robust and Biocompatible Bismuth Ellagate MOF Synthesized Under Green Ambient Conditions
Erik Svensson Grape, J. Gabriel Flores, Tania Hidalgo, Eva Martínez‐Ahumada, Aída Gutiérrez‐Alejandre, Audrey Hautier, Daryl R. Williams, M. O’Keeffe, Lars Öhrström, Tom Willhammar, Patricia Horcajada, Ilich A. Ibarra, A. Ken Inge
Abstract
The first bioinspired microporous metal-organic framework (MOF) synthesized using ellagic acid, a common natural antioxidant and polyphenol building unit, is presented. Bi 2 O(H 2 O) 2 (C 14 H 2 O 8 )nH 2 O (SU-101) was inspired by bismuth phenolate metallodrugs, and could be synthesized entirely from nonhazardous or edible reagents under ambient aqueous conditions, enabling simple scale-up. Reagent-grade and affordable dietary supplement-grade ellagic acid was sourced from tree bark and pomegranate hulls, respectively. Biocompatibility and colloidal stability were confirmed by in vitro assays. The material exhibits remarkable chemical stability for a bioinspired MOF (pH = 2-14, hydrothermal conditions, heated organic solvents, biological media, SO 2 and H 2 S), attributed to the strongly chelating phenolates. A total H 2 S uptake of 15.95 mmol g -1 was recorded, representing one of the highest H 2 S capacities for a MOF, where polysulfides are formed inside the pores of the material. Phenolic phytochemicals remain largely unexplored as linkers for MOF synthesis, opening new avenues to design stable, eco-friendly, scalable, and low-cost MOFs for diverse applications, including drug delivery.