Lukasz Wojtas

Porous materials with optimal adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics for CO2 separation

The energy costs associated with the separation and purification of industrial commodities, such as gases, fine chemicals and fresh water, currently represent around 15 per cent of global energy production, and the demand for such commodities is projected to triple by 2050 (ref. 1). The challenge of developing effective separation and purification technologies that have much smaller energy footprints is greater for carbon dioxide (CO2) than for other gases; in addition to its involvement in climate change, CO2 is an impurity in natural gas, biogas (natural gas produced from biomass), syngas (CO/H2, the main source of hydrogen in refineries) and many other gas streams. In the context of porous crystalline materials that can exploit both equilibrium and kinetic selectivity, size selectivity and targeted molecular recognition are attractive characteristics for CO2 separation and capture, as exemplified by zeolites 5A and 13X (ref. 2), as well as metal–organic materials (MOMs). Here we report that a crystal engineering or reticular chemistry strategy that controls pore functionality and size in a series of MOMs with coordinately saturated metal centres and periodically arrayed hexafluorosilicate (SiF62−) anions enables a ‘sweet spot’ of kinetics and thermodynamics that offers high volumetric uptake at low CO2 partial pressure (less than 0.15 bar). Most importantly, such MOMs offer an unprecedented CO2 sorption selectivity over N2, H2 and CH4, even in the presence of moisture. These MOMs are therefore relevant to CO2 separation in the context of post-combustion (flue gas, CO2/N2), pre-combustion (shifted synthesis gas stream, CO2/H2) and natural gas upgrading (natural gas clean-up, CO2/CH4).

Enhanced CO2 Binding Affinity of a High-Uptake rht-Type Metal−Organic Framework Decorated with Acylamide Groups

An rht-type metal-organic framework (MOF) prepared from M(2)(carboxylate)(4) (M = Cu, Co) paddlewheel clusters and a flexible C(3)-symmetric hexacarboxylate ligand with acylamide groups exhibits larger CO(2) uptake, an enhanced heat of adsorption, and higher selectivity toward CO(2)/N(2) in comparison with what was previously observed for an analogous MOF with alkyne groups.

Supermolecular Building Blocks (SBBs) for the Design and Synthesis of Highly Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks

Here, we report a novel approach for the bottom-up assembly of hierarchical building blocks:  simple molecular building blocks (MBBs) and the resultant supermolecular building blocks (SBBs) to build highly coordinated nets. A specific network, the (3,24)-connected rht, was used as a blueprint to construct a metal-organic framework where the MBBs/SBBs augment the net.

Tunable Rare-Earth fcu-MOFs: A Platform for Systematic Enhancement of CO2 Adsorption Energetics and Uptake

A series of fcu-MOFs based on rare-earth (RE) metals and linear fluorinated/nonfluorinated, homo/heterofunctional ligands were targeted and synthesized. This particular fcu-MOF platform was selected because of its unique structural characteristics combined with the ability/potential to dictate and regulate its chemical properties (e.g., tuning of the electron-rich RE metal ions and high localized charge density, a property arising from the proximal positioning of polarizing tetrazolate moieties and fluoro-groups that decorate the exposed inner surfaces of the confined conical cavities). These features permitted a systematic gas sorption study to evaluate/elucidate the effects of distinctive parameters on CO2-MOF sorption energetics. Our study supports the importance of the synergistic effect of exposed open metal sites and proximal highly localized charge density toward materials with enhanced CO2 sorption energetics.

Supermolecular building blocks (SBBs) and crystal design: 12-connected open frameworks based on a molecular cubohemioctahedron.

The cubohemioctahedral supermolecular building blocks, SBBs, of formula [M6(bdc)12]12- (M = Ni, Co) (as illustrated) have the requisite symmetry to be cross-linked by rigid tetracarboxylato ligands in such a manner that 12-connected fcu nets with nanoscale features are generated. 3,5-H4ATC, L1, facilitates a structure with Ni that exhibits cavities with >2 nm maximum dimensions, whereas H4BIPA-TC, L2, forms a net with Co or Ni that exhibits cavities with >3 nm maximum dimensions.

Cocrystals of Quercetin with Improved Solubility and Oral Bioavailability

Flavonoids have been studied extensively due to the observation that diets rich in these compounds are associated with lower incidences of many diseases. One of the most studied flavonoids, quercetin, is also the most abundant of these compounds in the plant kingdom. Numerous therapeutic bioactivities have been identified in vitro. However, its in vivo efficacy in pure form is limited by poor bioavailability, primarily due to its low solubility and consequent low absorption in the gut. Cocrystallization has gained attention recently as a means for improving the physicochemical characteristics of a compound. Here, we synthesized and evaluated four new cocrystals of quercetin (QUE): quercetin:caffeine (QUECAF), quercetin:caffeine:methanol (QUECAF·MeOH), quercetin:isonicotinamide (QUEINM), and quercetin:theobromine dihydrate (QUETBR · 2H(2)O). Each of these cocrystals exhibited pharmacokinetic properties that are vastly superior to those of quercetin alone. Cocrystallization was able to overcome the water insolubility of quercetin, with all four cocrystals exhibiting some degree of solubility. The QUECAF and QUECAF·MeOH cocrystals increased the solubility of QUE by 14- and 8-fold when compared to QUE dihydrate. We hypothesized that this improved solubility would translate into enhanced systemic absorption of QUE. This hypothesis was supported in our pharmacokinetic study. The cocrystals outperformed QUE dihydrate with increases in bioavailability up to nearly 10-fold.

Quest for Zeolite-like Metal−Organic Frameworks: On Pyrimidinecarboxylate Bis-Chelating Bridging Ligands

Two novel porous zeolitelike metal-organic frameworks (ZMOFs) were constructed via the single metal ion-based molecular building block approach from rigid and directional tetrahedral building units and pyrimidinecarboxylate bridging ligands; their ion exchange and hydrogen sorption properties were evaluated.

Zeolite-like metal-organic frameworks (ZMOFs) based on the directed assembly of finite metal-organic cubes (MOCs).

Two zeolite-like metal-organic frameworks (ZMOFs) with lta- and ast- topologies, zeolitic nets that can be interpreted as augmented edge-transitive 8-connected nets, are targeted through directed self-assembly of metal-organic cubes (MOCs) as supermolecular building blocks (SBBs).

Template-Directed Synthesis of Nets Based upon Octahemioctahedral Cages That Encapsulate Catalytically Active Metalloporphyrins

meso-Tetra(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphine tetratosylate (TMPyP) templates the synthesis of six new metal-organic materials by the reaction of benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate with transition metals, five of which exhibit HKUST-1 or tbo topology (M = Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Mg). The resulting materials, porph@MOMs, selectively encapsulate the corresponding metalloporphyrins in octahemioctahedral cages and can serve as size-selective heterogeneous catalysts for oxidation of olefins.

The Next Chapter in MOF Pillaring Strategies: Trigonal Heterofunctional Ligands To Access Targeted High-Connected Three Dimensional Nets, Isoreticular Platforms

A new pillaring strategy, based on a ligand-to-axial approach that combines the two previous common techniques, axial-to-axial and ligand-to-ligand, and permits design, access, and construction of higher dimensional MOFs, is introduced and validated. Trigonal heterofunctional ligands, in this case isophthalic acid cores functionalized at the 5-position with N-donor (e.g., pyridyl- or triazolyl-type) moieties, are designed and utilized to pillar pretargeted two-dimensional layers (supermolecular building layers, SBLs). These SBLs, based on edge transitive Kagomé and square lattices, are cross-linked into predicted three-dimensional MOFs with tunable large cavities, resulting in isoreticular platforms.