A novel NbO type microporous metal–organic framework Cu2L (ZJU-32; H4L = 5'-((3,5-dicarboxyphenyl)ethynyl)-[1,1':3',1"-terphenyl]-4,4"-dicarboxylic acid) constructed from an elaborately designed tetratopic ligand was solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. The activated ZJU-32a exhibits high permanent porosity with the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 3831 m(2) g(-1) and the pore volume of 1.482 cm(3) g(-1), enabling it to be a promising material for both methane storage and carbon dioxide capture at room temperature.