KAUST scientists have actually established a brand-new method to MOF style that provides several advantages to improve MOF efficiency. Credit: © 2023 KAUST
A centuries-old architectural strategy has actually motivated a brand-new approach for customizing < period class ="glossaryLink" aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>nanoscale</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>The nanoscale refers to a length scale that is extremely small, typically on the order of nanometers (nm), which is one billionth of a meter. At this scale, materials and systems exhibit unique properties and behaviors that are different from those observed at larger length scales. The prefix "nano-" is derived from the Greek word "nanos," which means "dwarf" or "very small." Nanoscale phenomena are relevant to many fields, including materials science, chemistry, biology, and physics.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" > nanoscale windows in metal-organic structures( < period class =(************************************************** )aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>MOFs</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of porous material compounds consisting of metal-to-organic ligand interactions. MOFs show promise to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of practical gas separation systems and are of interest for the storage of gases such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" > MOFs), with possible applications in gas separation and medical fields.
(************* ) A centuries-old strategy for building arched stone windows has actually motivated a brand-new method to form customized nanoscale windows in permeable practical products called metal-organic structures( MOFs).
The approach utilizes a molecular variation of an architectural arch-forming “focusing formwork” design template to direct the development of MOFs with pore windows of fixed sizes and shape. New MOFs developed and made in this method variety from narrow-windowed products with gas separation capacity to larger-windowed structures with possible medical applications due to their outstanding oxygen-adsorption capability.
“One of the most difficult objectives in brand-new structure style is the exact control of structure development,” states Aleksandr Sapianik, a postdoc in the group of Mohamed Eddaoudi, who led the research study. For reticular chemistry– the assembly of molecular foundation into permeable crystalline products such as MOFs– the focusing formwork idea may use that exact control, the group recognized.
The beginning point of the research study was a zeolite-like MOF (ZMOF), which typically includes pentagonal windows framed by foundation called supertetrahedra (ST). “Our goal was to control ST arrangement to change from this well-known topology to one not reported before with these building blocks,” Sapianik states.
The group established focusing structure-directing representatives (cSDA) to manage ST positioning and kind ZMOF windows of brand-new sizes and shapes. One set of cSDAs, developed to tighten up the angle in between adjacent ST systems, produced little windows. Another set, developed to broaden the angle in between ST systems, provided bigger windows.
“MOF pore size and volume are important parameters that affect their application,” states Marina Barsukova, a postdoc in Eddaoudi’s group. One large-windowed ZMOF the group developed, Fe- sod– ZMOF-320, revealed the greatest oxygen adsorption capability of any MOF understood. “This property is important in the medical and aerospace industries, where the high capacity would increase oxygen storage in a cylinder, or enable smaller cylinders for easier transport,” Barsukova states. The exact same ZMOFs likewise carried out well for storage of methane and hydrogen, which are possible fuels. Other ZMOFs in the household with narrow windows revealed possible for gas separation of molecular mixes.
The cSDA idea provides several advantages boosting MOF efficiency, states Vincent Guillerm, a research study researcher in Eddaoudi’s group. “The cSDA partitions big windows into smaller ones, which our preliminary results suggest will be useful for chemical separations,” he states. “It also offers additional internal pore surface, which can help to improve gas storage, and reinforces the MOF framework, which should improve the material’s stability,” he includes.
“The centering approach we have developed is another powerful strategy in the repertoire of reticular chemistry, offering great potential for made-to-order MOFs for applications in energy security and environmental sustainability,” Eddaoudi states.
Reference: “Face-directed assembly of tailored isoreticular MOFs using centring structure-directing agents” by Marina Barsukova, Aleksandr Sapianik, Vincent Guillerm, Aleksander Shkurenko, Aslam C. Shaikh, Prakash Parvatkar, Prashant M. Bhatt, Mickaele Bonneau, Abdulhadi Alhaji, Osama Shekhah, Salvador R. G. Balestra, Rocio Semino, Guillaume Maurin and Mohamed Eddaoudi, 2 October 2023, Nature Synthesis
DOI: 10.1038/ s44160-023-00401 -8
