Metal-halide porous framework superlattices

The construction of superlattices with a spatial modulation of chemical compositions allows for the creation of artificial materials with tailorable periodic potential landscapes and tunable electronic and optical properties1–5. Conventional semiconductor superlattices with designable potential modulation in one dimension has enabled high-electron-mobility transistors and quantum-cascade lasers. More recently, a diverse set of superlattices has been constructed through self-assembly or guided assembly of multiscale building units, including zero-dimensional nanoclusters and nanoparticles6,7, one-dimensional nanorods and nanowires8,9, two-dimensional nanolayers and nanosheets10–13, and hybrid two-dimensional molecular assemblies14–17. These self-assembled superlattices feature periodic structural modulation in two or three dimensions, but often lack atomic precision owing to the inevitable structural disorder at the interfaces between the constituent units. Here we report a one-pot synthesis of multi-dimensional single-crystalline superlattices consisting of periodic arrangement of zero-, one- and two-dimensional building units. By exploiting zirconium (IV) metal–organic frameworks as host templates for directed nucleation and precise growth of metal-halide sublattices through a coordination-assisted assembly strategy, we synthesize a family of single-crystalline porous superlattices. Single-crystal X-ray crystallography and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy clearly resolve the high-order superlattice structure with deterministic atomic coordinates. Further treatment with selected amine molecules produces perovskite-like superlattices with highly tunable photoluminescence and chiroptical properties. Our study creates a platform of high-order single-crystalline porous superlattices, opening opportunities to tailor the electronic, optical and quantum properties beyond the reach of conventional crystalline solids.