By virtue of their open network structures and low densities, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are soft materials that exhibit elastic instabilities at low applied stresses. The conventional strategy for improving elastic stability is to increase the connectivity of the underlying MOF network, which necessarily increases the material density and reduces the porosity. Here we demonstrate an alternative paradigm, whereby elastic stability is enhanced in a MOF with an aperiodic network topology. We use a combination of variable-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements and coarse-grained lattice-dynamical calculations to interrogate the high-pressure behaviour of the topologically aperiodic system TRUMOF-1, which we compare against that of its ordered congener MOF-5. We show that the topology of the former quenches the elastic instability responsible for pressure-induced framework collapse in the latter, much as irregularity in the shapes and sizes of stones acts to prevent cooperative mechanical failure in drystone walls. Our results establish aperiodicity as a counter-intuitive design motif in engineering the mechanical properties of framework structures that is relevant to MOFs and larger-scale architectures alike.

金属有机框架（MOF）具有开放的网络结构和低密度，是一种软材料，在低外加应力下表现出弹性不稳定性。提高弹性稳定性的传统策略是增加底层 MOF 网络的连通性，这必然会增加材料密度并降低孔隙率。在这里，我们展示了一种替代范例，通过非周期性网络拓扑增强 MOF 的弹性稳定性。我们结合使用变压单晶 X 射线衍射测量和粗粒度晶格动力学计算来研究拓扑非周期系统 TRUMOF-1 的高压行为，并将其与有序同类 MOF 进行比较-5。我们表明，前者的拓扑结构消除了导致后者压力引起的框架倒塌的弹性不稳定性，就像石头形状和尺寸的不规则性可以防止干石墙的协同机械失效一样。我们的研究结果将非周期性确定为一种反直觉的设计主题，用于设计与 MOF 和大型架构相关的框架结构的机械性能。