Metal-organic frameworks utilising an interlocked, hexadentate linker containing a tetra-carboxylate axle and a bis(pyridine) wheel.

A [2]rotaxane linker was synthesized which combines an H-shaped axle containing four 3-carboxyphenyl groups and a macrocyclic wheel with two 4-pyridyl groups. Metal-organic framework materials were prepared with Cu and Zn ions X-ray structures show that the materials contain unique frameworks that are threaded solely due to the interpenetrated nature of the linker.