Kui Tan

Effective sensing of RDX via instant and selective detection of ketone vapors

Two new luminescent metal–organic frameworks (LMOFs) were synthesized and examined for use as sensory materials. Very fast and effective sensing of RDX was achieved by vapor detection of a cyclic ketone used as a solvent in the production of plastic explosives. The effects of porosity and electronic structure of the LMOFs on their sensing performance were evaluated. We demonstrate that the optimization of these two factors of an LMOF can significantly improve its sensitivity and selectivity. We also elucidate the importance of both electron and energy transfer processes on the fluorescence response of a sensory material.

Water Cluster Confinement and Methane Adsorption in the Hydrophobic Cavities of a Fluorinated Metal–Organic Framework

Water cluster formation and methane adsorption within a hydrophobic porous metal organic framework is studied by in situ vibrational spectroscopy, adsorption isotherms, and first-principle DFT calculations (using vdW-DF). Specifically, the formation and stability of H2O clusters in the hydrophobic cavities of a fluorinated metal-organic framework (FMOF-1) is examined. Although the isotherms of water show no measurable uptake (see Yang et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011 , 133 , 18094 ), the large dipole of the water internal modes makes it possible to detect low water concentrations using IR spectroscopy in pores in the vicinity of the surface of the solid framework. The results indicate that, even in the low pressure regime (100 mTorr to 3 Torr), water molecules preferentially occupy the large cavities, in which hydrogen bonding and wall hydrophobicity foster water cluster formation. We identify the formation of pentameric water clusters at pressures lower than 3 Torr and larger clusters beyond that pressure. The binding energy of the water species to the walls is negligible, as suggested by DFT computational findings and corroborated by IR absorption data. Consequently, intermolecular hydrogen bonding dominates, enhancing water cluster stability as the size of the cluster increases. The formation of water clusters with negligible perturbation from the host may allow a quantitative comparison with experimental environmental studies on larger clusters that are in low concentrations in the atmosphere. The stability of the water clusters was studied as a function of pressure reduction and in the presence of methane gas. Methane adsorption isotherms for activated FMOF-1 attained volumetric adsorption capacities ranging from 67 V(STP)/V at 288 K and 31 bar to 133 V(STP)/V at 173 K and 5 bar, with an isosteric heat of adsorption of ca. 14 kJ/mol in the high temperature range (288-318 K). Overall, the experimental and computational data suggest high preferential uptake for methane gas relative to water vapor within FMOF-1 pores with ease of desorption and high framework stability under operative temperature and moisture conditions.

Understanding and controlling water stability of MOF-74

Metal organic framework (MOF) materials in general, and MOF-74 in particular, have promising properties for many technologically important processes. However, their instability under humid conditions severely restricts practical use. We show that this instability and the accompanying reduction of the CO2 uptake capacity of MOF-74 under humid conditions originate in the water dissociation reaction H2O → OH + H at the metal centers. After this dissociation, the OH groups coordinate to the metal centers, explaining the reduction in the MOFs CO2 uptake capacity. This reduction thus strongly depends on the catalytic activity of MOF-74 towards the water dissociation reaction. We further show that—while the water molecules themselves only have a negligible effect on the crystal structure of MOF-74—the OH and H products of the dissociation reaction significantly weaken the MOF framework and lead to the observed crystal structure breakdown. With this knowledge, we propose a way to suppress this particular reaction by modifying the MOF-74 structure to increase the water dissociation energy barrier and thus control the stability of the system under humid conditions.

Structural, elastic, thermal, and electronic responses of small-molecule-loaded metal–organic framework materials

We combine infrared spectroscopy, nano-indentation measurements, and ab initio simulations to study the evolution of structural, elastic, thermal, and electronic responses of the metal–organic framework MOF-74-Zn when loaded with H2, CO2, CH4, and H2O. We find that molecular adsorption in this MOF triggers remarkable responses in all these properties of the host material, with specific signatures for each of the guest molecules. With this comprehensive study, we are able to clarify and correlate the underlying mechanisms regulating these responses with changes of physical and chemical environments. Our findings suggest that metal–organic framework materials in general, and MOF-74-Zn in particular, can be very promising materials for novel transducers and sensor applications, including highly selective small-molecule detection in gas mixtures.

Study of van der Waals bonding and interactions in metal organic framework materials

Metal organic framework (MOF) materials have attracted a lot of attention due to their numerous applications in fields such as hydrogen storage, carbon capture and gas sequestration. In all these applications, van der Waals forces dominate the interaction between the small guest molecules and the walls of the MOFs. In this review article, we describe how a combined theoretical and experimental approach can successfully be used to study those weak interactions and elucidate the adsorption mechanisms important for various applications. On the theory side, we show that, while standard density functional theory is not capable of correctly describing van der Waals interactions, functionals especially designed to include van der Waals forces exist, yielding results in remarkable agreement with experiment. From the experimental point of view, we show examples in which IR adsorption and Raman spectroscopy are essential to study molecule/MOF interactions. Importantly, we emphasize throughout this review that a combination of theory and experiment is crucial to effectively gain further understanding. In particular, we review such combined studies for the adsorption mechanism of small molecules in MOFs, the chemical stability of MOFs under humid conditions, water cluster formation inside MOFs, and the diffusion of small molecules into MOFs. The understanding of these phenomena is critical for the rational design of new MOFs with desired properties.

Capture of organic iodides from nuclear waste by metal-organic framework-based molecular traps

Effective capture of radioactive organic iodides from nuclear waste remains a significant challenge due to the drawbacks of current adsorbents such as low uptake capacity, high cost, and non-recyclability. We report here a general approach to overcome this challenge by creating radioactive organic iodide molecular traps through functionalization of metal-organic framework materials with tertiary amine-binding sites. The molecular trap exhibits a high CH3I saturation uptake capacity of 71 wt% at 150 °C, which is more than 340% higher than the industrial adsorbent Ag0@MOR under identical conditions. These functionalized metal-organic frameworks also serve as good adsorbents at low temperatures. Furthermore, the resulting adsorbent can be recycled multiple times without loss of capacity, making recyclability a reality. In combination with its chemical and thermal stability, high capture efficiency and low cost, the adsorbent demonstrates promise for industrial radioactive organic iodides capture from nuclear waste. The capture mechanism was investigated by experimental and theoretical methods.Capturing radioactive organic iodides from nuclear waste is important for safe nuclear energy usage, but remains a significant challenge. Here, Li and co-workers fabricate a stable metal–organic framework functionalized with tertiary amine groups that exhibits high capacities for radioactive organic iodides uptake.

Surface and Structural Investigation of a MnOx Birnessite‐Type Water Oxidation Catalyst Formed under Photocatalytic Conditions

Catalytically active MnOx species have been reported to form in situ from various Mn-complexes during electrocatalytic and solution-based water oxidation when employing cerium(IV) ammonium ammonium nitrate (CAN) oxidant as a sacrificial reagent. The full structural characterization of these oxides may be complicated by the presence of support material and lack of a pure bulk phase. For the first time, we show that highly active MnOx catalysts form without supports in situ under photocatalytic conditions. Our most active (4)MnOx catalyst (∼0.84 mmol O2  mol Mn(-1) s(-1)) forms from a Mn4O4 bearing a metal-organic framework. (4)MnOx is characterized by pair distribution function analysis (PDF), Raman spectroscopy, and HR-TEM as a disordered, layered Mn-oxide with high surface area (216 m(2) g(-1)) and small regions of crystallinity and layer flexibility. In contrast, the (S)MnOx formed from Mn(2+) salt gives an amorphous species of lower surface area (80 m(2) g(-1)) and lower activity (∼0.15 mmol O2  mol Mn(-1) s(-1)). We compare these catalysts to crystalline hexagonal birnessite, which activates under the same conditions. Full deconvolution of the XPS Mn2p3/2 core levels detects enriched Mn(3+) and Mn(2+) content on the surfaces, which indicates possible disproportionation/comproportionation surface equilibria.

Creating Hierarchical Pores by Controlled Linker Thermolysis in Multivariate Metal–Organic Frameworks

Sufficient pore size, appropriate stability, and hierarchical porosity are three prerequisites for open frameworks designed for drug delivery, enzyme immobilization, and catalysis involving large molecules. Herein, we report a powerful and general strategy, linker thermolysis, to construct ultrastable hierarchically porous metal-organic frameworks (HP-MOFs) with tunable pore size distribution. Linker instability, usually an undesirable trait of MOFs, was exploited to create mesopores by generating crystal defects throughout a microporous MOF crystal via thermolysis. The crystallinity and stability of HP-MOFs remain after thermolabile linkers are selectively removed from multivariate metal-organic frameworks (MTV-MOFs) through a decarboxylation process. A domain-based linker spatial distribution was found to be critical for creating hierarchical pores inside MTV-MOFs. Furthermore, linker thermolysis promotes the formation of ultrasmall metal oxide nanoparticles immobilized in an open framework that exhibits high catalytic activity for Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions. Most importantly, this work provides fresh insights into the connection between linker apportionment and vacancy distribution, which may shed light on probing the disordered linker apportionment in multivariate systems, a long-standing challenge in the study of MTV-MOFs.

Effect of metal/bulk-heterojunction interfacial properties on organic photovoltaic device performance

Interfacial properties between evaporated metal contacts and active layer in organic photovoltaic devices critically affect device performance. Through a controlled mechanical delamination method, the interfaces between annealed P3HT:PCBM BHJ layer and Al or Ag electrodes are revealed for direct chemical characterization. The difference in the interfacial, rather than bulk, properties account for the different OPV device performance.

Topologically guided tuning of Zr-MOF pore structures for highly selective separation of C6 alkane isomers

As an alternative technology to energy intensive distillations, adsorptive separation by porous solids offers lower energy cost and higher efficiency. Herein we report a topology-directed design and synthesis of a series of Zr-based metal-organic frameworks with optimized pore structure for efficient separation of C6 alkane isomers, a critical step in the petroleum refining process to produce gasoline with high octane rating. Zr6O4(OH)4(bptc)3 adsorbs a large amount of n-hexane but excluding branched isomers. The n-hexane uptake is ~70% higher than that of a benchmark adsorbent, zeolite-5A. A derivative structure, Zr6O4(OH)8(H2O)4(abtc)2, is capable of discriminating all three C6 isomers and yielding a high separation factor for 3-methylpentane over 2,3-dimethylbutane. This property is critical for producing gasoline with further improved quality. Multicomponent breakthrough experiments provide a quantitative measure of the capability of these materials for separation of C6 alkane isomers. A detailed structural analysis reveals the unique topology, connectivity and relationship of these compounds.The separation of C6 alkane isomers is crucial to the petroleum refining industry, but the distillation methods in place are energy intensive. Here, the authors design a series of topologically-guided zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks with optimized pore structures for efficient C6 alkane isomer separations.