Hydrophilic and hydrophobic calcium-phosphonate monoester metal-organic layers

Two isostructural calcium-phosphonate monoester metal–organic layers (MOLs) Ca-L1 and Ca-L2 were synthesized. Contact angle test revealed that two MOLs showed completely opposite hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties due to the regulation of PME grafting groups. In addition, PME could influence the structures and water stability of coordination polymers. Single-layer and several layers nanosheets of both two materials with structure retention were gained via the “top-down” method.