Mona H. Mohamed

Putting the squeeze on CH4 and CO2 through control over interpenetration in diamondoid nets.

We report the synthesis, structure, and sorption properties of a family of eight diamondoid (dia) metal-organic materials (MOMs) that are sustained by Co(II) or Zn(II) cations linked by one of three rigid ligands: 4-(2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl)benzoate (1), 4-(pyridin-4-yl)benzoate (2), and 4-(pyridin-4-yl)acrylate (3). Pore size control in this family of dia nets was exerted by two approaches: changing the length of the linker ligand from 1 to 3, and using solvent as a template to control the level of interpenetration in nets based upon 1 and 3. The resulting MOMs, dia-8i-1, dia-5i-3, dia-7i-1-Zn, dia-7i-1-Co, dia-4i-3-a, dia-4i-3-b, dia-4i-2, and dia-4i-1, exhibit 1D channels with pore limiting diameters (PLDs) of 1.64, 2.90, 5.06, 5.28, 8.57, 8.83, 11.86, and 18.25 Å, respectively. We selected dia nets for this study for the following reasons: their 1D channels facilitate study of the impact of pore size on gas sorption parameters in situations where pore chemistry is similar (pyridyl benzoate-type linkers) or identical (in the case of polymorphs), and their saturated metal centers eliminate open metal sites from dominating sorbent-solvate interactions and possibly masking the effect of pore size. Our data reveal that smaller pore sizes offer stronger interactions, as determined by the isosteric heat of adsorption (Qst) and the steepness of the adsorption isotherm in the low-pressure region. The porous MOM with the smallest PLD suitable for physisorption, dia-7i-1-Co, was thereby found to exhibit the highest Qst values for CO2 and CH4. Indeed, dia-7i-1-Co exhibits a Qst for CH4 of 26.7 kJ/mol, which was validated through grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation studies of CH4 adsorption. This Qst value is considerably higher than those found in covalent organic frameworks and other MOMs with unsaturated metal centers. These results therefore further validate the critical role that PLD plays in gas adsorption by porous MOMs.

The asc Trinodal Platform: Two‐Step Assembly of Triangular, Tetrahedral, and Trigonal‐Prismatic Molecular Building Blocks

Their structure (especially theirmodularity) and properties (especially extra-large surfacearea) have made them an attractive class of porous materialsfor applications including gas purification and storage,catalysis, small molecule separations, and chemical sensing.In comparison to their purely inorganic analogues (forexample, zeolites), their surface areas and their amenabilityto fine tuning of composition affords an exceptional level ofcontrol over physicochemical properties.In the context of MOMs, the application of crystalengineering,

Hybrid Ultra‐Microporous Materials for Selective Xenon Adsorption and Separation

The demand for Xe/Kr separation continues to grow due to the industrial significance of high-purity Xe gas. Current separation processes rely on energy intensive cryogenic distillation. Therefore, less energy intensive alternatives, such as physisorptive separation, using porous materials, are required. Herein we show that an underexplored class of porous materials called hybrid ultra-microporous materials (HUMs) affords new benchmark selectivity for Xe separation from Xe/Kr mixtures. The isostructural materials, CROFOUR-1-Ni and CROFOUR-2-Ni, are coordination networks that have coordinatively saturated metal centers and two distinct types of micropores, one of which is lined by CrO4 (2-) (CROFOUR) anions and the other is decorated by the functionalized organic linker. These nets offer unprecedented selectivity towards Xe. Modelling indicates that the selectivity of these nets is tailored by synergy between the pore size and the strong electrostatics afforded by the CrO4 (2-) anions.

Hydrophobic pillared square grids for selective removal of CO2 from simulated flue gas

Capture of CO2 from flue gas is considered to be a feasible approach to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic emission of CO2. Herein we report that an isostructural family of metal organic materials (MOMs) of general formula [M(linker)2(pillar)], linker = pyrazine, pillar = hexaflourosilicate and M = Zn, Cu, Ni and Co exhibits highly selective removal of CO2 from dry and wet simulated flue gas. Two members of the family, M = Ni and Co, SIFSIX-3-Ni and SIFSIX-3-Co, respectively, are reported for the first time and compared with the previously reported Zn and Cu analogs.

Two-step crystal engineering of porous nets from [Cr3(μ3-O)(RCO2)6] and [Cu3(μ3-Cl)(RNH2)6Cl6] molecular building blocks

Two porous nets have been prepared via a 2-step crystal engineering approach that links decorated trigonal prismatic [Cr3(μ3-O)(CO2)6] and [Cu3(μ3-Cl)(RNH2)6Cl6] molecular building blocks, MBBs. tp-PMBB-5-acs-1 is a rare example of a rigid acs underlying net whereas tp-PMBB-6-stp-1, an stp underlying net, exhibits free NH2 groups in its channels and a relatively high isosteric heat of adsorption for CO2.

Theoretical Investigations of CO2 and CH4 Sorption in an Interpenetrated Diamondoid Metal–Organic Material

Grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations of CO2 and CH4 sorption and separation were performed in dia-7i-1-Co, a metal–organic material (MOM) consisting of a 7-fold interpenetrated net of Co2+ ions coordinated to 4-(2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl)benzoate linkers. This MOM shows high affinity toward CH4 at low loading due to the presence of narrow, close fitting, one-dimensional hydrophobic channels—this makes the MOM relevant for applications in low-pressure methane storage. The calculated CO2 and CH4 sorption isotherms and isosteric heat of adsorption, Qst, values in dia-7i-1-Co are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental results for all state points considered. The experimental initial Qst value for CH4 in dia-7i-1-Co is currently the highest of reported MOM materials, and this was further validated by the simulations performed herein. The simulations predict relatively constant Qst values for CO2 and CH4 sorption across all loadings in dia-7i-1-Co, consistent with the one type of binding site identified for the respective sorbate molecules in this MOM. Examination of the three-dimensional histogram showing the sites of CO2 and CH4 sorption in dia-7i-1-Co confirmed this finding. Inspection of the modeled structure revealed that the sorbate molecules form a strong interaction with the organic linkers within the constricted hydrophobic channels. Ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) calculations and GCMC binary mixture simulations predict that the selectivity of CO2 over CH4 in dia-7i-1-Co is quite low, which is a direct consequence of the MOM’s high affinity toward both CO2 and CH4 as well as the nonspecific mechanism shown here. This study provides theoretical insights into the effects of pore size on CO2 and CH4 sorption in porous MOMs and its effect upon selectivity, including postulating design strategies to distinguish between sorbates of similar size and hydrophobicity.

Coordination Covalent Frameworks: A New Route for Synthesis and Expansion of Functional Porous Materials

The synthetic approaches for fine-tuning the structural properties of coordination polymers or metal organic frameworks have exponentially grown during the past decade. This is due to the control over the properties of the resulting structures such as stability, pore size, pore chemistry and surface area for myriad possible applications. Herein, we present a new class of porous materials called Coordination Covalent Frameworks (CCFs) that were designed and effectively synthesized using a two-step reticular chemistry approach. During the first step, trigonal prismatic molecular building block was isolated using 4-aminobenazoic acid and Cr (III) salt, subsequently in the second step the polymerization of the isolated molecular building blocks (MBBs) takes place by the formation of strong covalent bonds where small organic molecules can connect the MBBs forming extended porous CCF materials. All the isolated CCFs were found to be permanently porous while the discrete MBB were nonporous. This approach would inevitably open a feasible path for the applications of reticular chemistry and the synthesis of novel porous materials with various topologies under ambient conditions using simple organic molecules and versatile MBBs with different functionalities that would not be possible using the traditional one-step approach.

Xenon Recovery at Room Temperature using Metal Organic Frameworks

Xenon is known to be a very efficient anesthetic gas, but its cost prohibits the wider use in medical industry and other potential applications. It has been shown that Xe recovery and recycling from anesthetic gas mixtures can significantly reduce its cost as anesthetic. The current technology uses series of adsorbent columns followed by low-temperature distillation to recover Xe; this method is expensive to use in medical facilities. Herein, we propose a much simpler and more efficient system to recover and recycle Xe from exhaled anesthetic gas mixtures at room temperature using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Among the MOFs tested, PCN-12 exhibits unprecedented performance with high Xe capacity and Xe/O2 , Xe/N2 and Xe/CO2 selectivity at room temperature. The in situ synchrotron measurements suggest that Xe is occupies the small pockets of PCN-12 compared to unsaturated metal centers (UMCs). Computational modeling of adsorption further supports our experimental observation of Xe binding sites in PCN-12.