Paul S. Wheatley

Gas Storage in Nanoporous Materials

Gas storage in solids is becoming an ever more important technology, with applications and potential applications ranging from energy and the environment all the way to biology and medicine. Very highly porous materials, such as zeolites, carbon materials, polymers, and metal-organic frameworks, offer a wide variety of chemical composition and structural architectures that are suitable for the adsorption and storage of many different gases, including hydrogen, methane, nitric oxide, and carbon dioxide. However, the challenges associated with designing materials to have sufficient adsorption capacity, controllable delivery rates, suitable lifetimes, and recharging characteristics are not trivial in many instances. The different chemistry associated with the various gases of interest makes it necessary to carefully match the properties of the porous material to the required application.

Ionic liquids and eutectic mixtures as solvent and template in synthesis of zeolite analogues

The challenges associated with synthesizing porous materials mean that new classes of zeolites (zeotypes)—such as aluminosilicate zeolites and zeolite analogues—together with new methods of preparing known zeotypes, continue to be of great importance. Normally these materials are prepared hydrothermally with water as the solvent in a sealed autoclave under autogenous pressure. The reaction mixture usually includes an organic template or ‘structure-directing agent’ that guides the synthesis pathway towards particular structures. Here we report the preparation of aluminophosphate zeolite analogues by using ionic liquids and eutectic mixtures. An imidazolium-based ionic liquid acts as both solvent and template, leading to four zeotype frameworks under different experimental conditions. The structural characteristics of the materials can be traced back to the solvent chemistry used. Because of the vanishingly low vapour pressure of ionic liquids, synthesis takes place at ambient pressure, eliminating safety concerns associated with high hydrothermal pressures. The ionic liquid can also be recycled for further use. A choline chloride/urea eutectic mixture is also used in the preparation of a new zeotype framework.

Exceptional Behavior over the Whole Adsorption−Storage−Delivery Cycle for NO in Porous Metal Organic Frameworks

Two porous metal organic frameworks (MOFs), [M2(C8H2O6)(H2O)2] x 8 H2O (M = Co, Ni), perform exceptionally well for the adsorption, storage, and water-triggered delivery of the biologically important gas nitric oxide. Adsorption and powder X-ray diffraction studies indicate that each coordinatively unsaturated metal atom in the structure coordinates to one NO molecule. All of the stored gas is available for delivery even after the material has been stored for several months. The combination of extremely high adsorption capacity (approximately 7 mmol of NO/g of MOF) and good storage stability is ideal for the preparation of NO storage solids. However, most important is that the entire reservoir of stored gas is recoverable on contact with a simple trigger (moisture). The activity of the NO storage materials is proved in myography experiments showing that the NO-releasing MOFs cause relaxation of porcine arterial tissue.

A family of zeolites with controlled pore size prepared using a top-down method

The properties of zeolites, and thus their suitability for different applications, are intimately connected with their structures. Synthesizing specific architectures is therefore important, but has remained challenging. Here we report a top-down strategy that involves the disassembly of a parent zeolite, UTL, and its reassembly into two zeolites with targeted topologies, IPC-2 and IPC-4. The three zeolites are closely related as they adopt the same layered structure, and they differ only in how the layers are connected. Choosing different linkers gives rise to different pore sizes, enabling the synthesis of materials with predetermined pore architectures. The structures of the resulting zeolites were characterized by interpreting the X-ray powder-diffraction patterns through models using computational methods; IPC-2 exhibits orthogonal 12- and ten-ring channels, and IPC-4 is a more complex zeolite that comprises orthogonal ten- and eight-ring channels. We describe how this method enables the preparation of functional materials and discuss its potential for targeting other new zeolites.

The ionothermal synthesis of SIZ-6--a layered aluminophosphate.

A new layered open framework aluminophosphate has been prepared by ionothermal synthesis using an ionic liquid as the reaction solvent and structure-directing agent.

Early stage reversed crystal growth of zeolite A and its phase transformation to sodalite.

Microstructural analysis of the early stage crystal growth of zeolite A in hydrothermal synthetic conditions revealed a revised crystal growth route from surface to core in the presence of the biopolymer chitosan. The mechanism of this extraordinary crystal growth route is discussed. In the first stage, the precursor and biopolymer aggregated into amorphous spherical particles. Crystallization occurred on the surface of these spheres, forming the typical cubic morphology associated with zeolite A with a very thin crystalline cubic shell and an amorphous core. With a surface-to-core extension of crystallization, sodalite nanoplates were crystallized within the amorphous cores of these zeolite A cubes, most likely due to an increase of pressure. These sodalite nanoplates increased in size, breaking the cubic shells of zeolite A in the process, leading to the phase transformation from zeolite A to sodalite via an Ostwald ripening process. Characterization of specimens was performed using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, supported by other techniques including X-ray diffraction, solid-state NMR, and N(2) adsorption/desorption.

NO-loaded Zn2+-exchanged zeolite materials: A potential bifunctional anti-bacterial strategy

Nitric oxide (NO) is important for the regulation of a number of diverse biological processes, including vascular tone, neurotransmission, inflammatory cell responsiveness, defence against invading pathogens and wound healing. Transition metal exchanged zeolites are nanoporous materials with high-capacity storage properties for gases such as NO. The NO stores are liberated upon contact with aqueous environments, thereby making them ideal candidates for use in biological and clinical settings. Here, we demonstrate the NO release capacity and powerful bactericidal properties of a novel NO-storing Zn(2+)-exchanged zeolite material at a 50 wt.% composition in a polytetrafluoroethylene polymer. Further to our published data showing the anti-thrombotic effects of a similar NO-loaded zeolite, this study demonstrates the anti-bacterial properties of NO-releasing zeolites against clinically relevant strains of bacteria, namely Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile. Thus our study highlights the potential of NO-loaded zeolites as biocompatible medical device coatings with anti-infective properties.

Task specific ionic liquids for the ionothermal synthesis of siliceous zeolites

The first genuine ionothermal synthesis of siliceous zeolites MFI and TON has been accomplished by utilising the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide/hydroxide as both solvent and structure directing agent.

Zeolites with Continuously Tuneable Porosity

Zeolites are important materials whose utility in industry depends on the nature of their porous structure. Control over microporosity is therefore a vitally important target. Unfortunately, traditional methods for controlling porosity, in particular the use of organic structure-directing agents, are relatively coarse and provide almost no opportunity to tune the porosity as required. Here we show how zeolites with a continuously tuneable surface area and micropore volume over a wide range can be prepared. This means that a particular surface area or micropore volume can be precisely tuned. The range of porosity we can target covers the whole range of useful zeolite porosity: from small pores consisting of 8-rings all the way to extra-large pores consisting of 14-rings.

The location of fluoride and organic guests in ‘as-made’ pure silica zeolites FER and CHA

The structure determination of as-made silica zeolites CHA and FER prepared in the presence of fluoride ions has been accomplished using microcrystal X-ray diffraction at a synchrotron source. In both cases, the location of the fluoride ions has been determined. Fluoride ions are incorporated into small double six-ring cages in the CHA framework, and the organic guests have been located in the larger chabazite cages. In contrast to two previous single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of as-made siliceous FER prepared in related ways fluoride ions are incorporated into the framework and are found occluded inside small cages in the structure.