Over the last seventy years, porous solids have become strategic materials, thanks to their use in the oil industry, catalysis and fine chemistry.
Fifteen years ago, the discovery of a new class of porous solids, this time combining organic and inorganic parts linked exclusively by strong bonds, opened up new opportunities in both fundamental and applied research. The use of organic molecules (mainly polycarboxylates) in the network has greatly increased the possibilities of modulating pore shape and size, and thus the possibility of introducing new species (hydrogen, greenhouse gases, catalysts, drugs...). Chemical control of the inorganic part has also led to the appearance of physical properties usually found in dense phases (magnetism, conduction, luminescence...).
After a brief review of the state of the art in the field, the presentation will focus on the advantages of this new family of solids over existing materials (in particular MILs or Matériaux de l'Institut Lavoisier), both in terms of fundamental research (rational synthesis and structure prediction based on knowledge of formation mechanisms) and industrial applications.
With regard to the latter, the focus is on applications in :
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energy (hydrogen storage, electrode materials) ;
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energy savings, with the emergence of their catalytic properties and separation performance, requiring precise knowledge of adsorption enthalpies;
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sustainable development and pollution control, with the capture of large quantities ofCO2 and methane at ambient temperature;
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healthcare, with the potential of the hybrid route to provide non-toxic, biodegradable materials, effective simultaneously for the storage and transport of large quantities of drugs active against childhood leukemia, breast cancer and AIDS, and for their targeted release over relatively long periods (3-15 days).
