Giant Hysteretic Sorption of CO2 : In Situ Crystallographic Visualization of Guest Binding within a Breathing Framework at 298 K

A fluorescent MOF and its synthesized MOF@cotton composite: Ratiometric sensing of vitamin B2 and antibiotic drug molecule

Here, we demonstrated the synthesis of a zinc based luminescent MOF, 1 (NDC = 2,6- naphthalenedicarboxylate) for the ratiometric detection of biomarker riboflavin (RBF; vitamin B2) in water dispersed medium. Further, this MOF detected two other antibiotic drug molecules, nitrofurantoin (NFT) and nitrofurazone (NZF). The detection of these analytes is very quick (∼seconds), and the limit of detection (LOD) for RBF, NZF and NFT are calculated as 16.58 ppm, 47.63 ppb and 56.96 ppb, respectively. The detection of these analytes was also comprehended by solid, solution, cost-effective paper strip method i.e., triphasic identification capabilities. The sensor is reusable without losing its detection efficacy. The sensor further showed the recognition abilities of these antibiotics in real field samples (river water, urine and tablet) and RBF in vitamin B2 pills and food samples (milk and cold drinks). The sensing merit of 1 urged us to fabricate of 1@cotton fabric composite, which exhibited the colorimetric detection of these analytes. In-depth experimental analysis suggested that the occurrence of photo-induced electron transfer (PET), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and the inner filter effect (IFE) are the possible sensing mechanisms for the recognition of the antibiotics drug. The FRET mechanism is responsible for the recognition of RBF. The sensing mechanism is further supported by the theoretical analysis and the excited lifetime measurement.

Optimizing Sieving Effect for CO2 Capture from Humid Air Using an Adaptive Ultramicroporous Framework

Excessive CO2 in the air can not only lead to serious climate problems but also cause serious damage to humans in confined spaces. Here, a novel metal-organic framework (FJI-H38) with adaptive ultramicropores and multiple active sites is prepared. It can sieve CO2 from air with the very high adsorption capacity/selectivity but the lowest adsorption enthalpy among the reported physical adsorbents. Such excellent adsorption performances can be retained even at high humidity. Mechanistic studies show that the polar ultramicropore is very suitable for molecular sieving of CO2 from N2 , and the distinguishable adsorption sites for H2 O and CO2 enable them to be co-adsorbed. Notably, the adsorbed-CO2 -driven pore shrinkage can further promote CO2 capture while the adsorbed-H2 O-induced phase transitions in turn inhibit H2 O adsorption. Moreover, FJI-H38 has excellent stability and recyclability and can be synthesized on a large scale, making it a practical trace CO2 adsorbent. This will provide a new strategy for developing practical adsorbents for CO2 capture from the air.

Engineering of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for thermometry

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs ) are excellent candidates for use in chemistry, material sciences and engineering thanks to their interesting qualitative features and potential applications. Quite interestingly, the luminescence of MOFs can be engineered by regulation of the ligand design, metal ion selection and encapsulation of guest molecules within the MOF cavity. Temperature is a very crucial physical parameter and the market share of temperature sensors is rapidly expanding with technology and medicinal advancement. Among the wide variety of available temperature sensors, recently MOFs have emerged as potential temperature sensors with the capacity to precisely measure the temperature. Lanthanide-based thermometry has advantages because of its ratiometric response ability, high quantum yield and photostability, and therefore lanthanide-based MOFs were initially focused on to construct MOF thermometers. As science and technology have gradually changed, it has been observed that with the inclusion of dye, quantum dots, etc. within the MOF cavity, it is possible to develop MOF-based thermometry. This review consolidates the recent advances of MOF-based ratiometric thermometers and their mechanism of energy transfer for determining the temperature (thermal sensitivity and temperature uncertainty). In addition, some fundamental points are also discussed, such as concepts for guiding the design of MOF ratiometric thermometers, thermometric performance and tuning the properties of MOF thermometers.

Highly Luminescent MOF and Its In Situ Fabricated Sustainable Corn Starch Gel Composite as a Fluoro-Switchable Reversible Sensor Triggered by Antibiotics and Oxo-Anions

Frequent use of antibiotics and the growth of industry lead to the pollution of several natural resources which is one of the major consequences for fatality to human health. Exploration of smart sensing materials is highly anticipated for ultrasensitive detection of those hazardous organics. The robust porous hydrogen bonded network encompassing a free-NH₂ moiety, Zn(II)-based metal-organic framework (MOF) (1), is used for the selective detection of antibiotics and toxic oxo-anions at the ppb level. The framework is able to detect the electronically dissimilar antibiotic sulfadiazine and nitrofurazone via fluorescence "turn-on" and "turn-off" processes, respectively. The antibiotic-triggered reversible fluoro-switching phenomena (fluorescence "on-off-on") are also observed by using the fluorimetric method. An extensive theoretical investigation was performed to establish the fluoro-switching response of 1, triggered by a class of antibiotics and also the sensing of oxo-anions. This investigation reveals that the interchange of the HOMO-LUMO energy levels of fluorophore and analytes is responsible for such a fluoro-switchable sensing activity. Sensor 1 showed the versatile detection ability which is reflected by the detection of a carcinogenic nitro-group-containing drug "roxarsone". In view of the sustainable environment along with quick-responsive merit of 1, an in situ MOF gel composite (1@CS; CS = corn starch) is prepared using 1 and CS due to its useful potential features such as biocompatibility, toxicologically innocuous, good flexibility, and low commercial price. The MOF composite exhibited visual detection of the above analytes as well as antibiotic-triggered reversible fluoro-switchable colorimetric "on-off-on" response. Therefore, 1@CS represents a promising smart sensing material for monitoring of the antibiotics and oxo-anions, particularly appropriate for the real-field analysis of carcinogenic drug molecule "roxarsone" in food specimens.

Ligated Solvent Influence on Interpenetration and Carbon Dioxide and Water Sorption Hysteresis in a System of 2D Isoreticular MOFs

Four two-dimensional (2D), fluorinated metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), [Cu(hfipbb)(DMF)]_n·0.5(DMF)_n (1), [Cu(hfipbb)(DEF)]_n (2), [Cu₃(hfipbb)₃(DMA)₃]_n·6(DMA)_n·2(H₂O)_n (3), and [Cu₂(hfipbb)₂(DEA)₂]_n·2(DEA)_n·2(H₂O)_n (4), have been synthesized where hfipbb = 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(benzoate), DMF = N,N'-dimethylformamide, DEF = N,N'-diethylformamide, DMA = N,N'-dimethylacetamide, and DEA = N,N'-diethylacetamide. The choice of either a formamide or acetamide solvent ligand leads to a 2D, doubly interpenetrated (1 and 2) or noninterpenetrated (3 and 4) MOF structure. Despite their lower potential void spaces, the doubly interpenetrated structures have superior carbon dioxide and hydrogen sorption properties. Their 195 K CO₂ sorption isotherms display inflection points, followed by ∼3-fold increases in their sorption capacities and very large extents of hysteretic behavior. This shows that small changes in the identity of the ligated solvent ligand can affect whether the resulting MOF is interpenetrated or noninterpenetrated and so drastically affect the sorption properties. In addition, the activated phase of a fifth MOF, synthesized through DMF ligand exchange with water in 1 (1W), does not display an inflection point and subsequent increased CO₂ sorption at 195 K, despite having the same degree of interpenetration, showing that even more subtle differences in the desolvated phases can lead to marked differences in their sorption behavior.

Significance of an Environmental Gas Cell to Obtain a Fully Dehydrated Form and CO2-Pressurized Structure of a Metal-Organic Framework Using In Situ Single-Crystal X-ray Diffraction at 298 K

The single-crystal X-ray diffraction method was employed to characterize a rigid hydrated metal-organic framework (MOF), [Co₂(MA)(INA)·2H₂O]_n, that displays an affinity toward water molecules under ambient conditions after dehydration. The fully dehydrated form was obtained using an environmental gas cell technique in a stepwise manner followed by its CO₂-pressurized structure at 298 K using in situ crystallography.

Crystallographic Visualization of a Guest-Induced Solar-Driven Cycloaddition Reaction Based on a Recyclable Nonporous Coordination Polymer

Stimuli-responsive solids with adjustable photophysical properties are particularly attractive because they can be used as smart materials in anticounterfeiting, information storage, holographic imaging, and other fields. Herein, we report a unique nonporous coordination polymer, {[Ag(3,3'-dpe)](2,2'-Hbpdc)}_n (1; 3,3'-dpe = 1,2-dipyridin-3-ylethene and 2,2'-H₂bpdc = 2,2'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid), that can convert to an extremely photoreactive compound, 1·H₂O·MeCN (MeCN = acetonitrile), through guest capture. Upon irradiation of sunlight, 1·H₂O·MeCN can transform to {[Ag(3,3'-tpcb)_0.5](2,2'-Hbpdc)(H₂O)(MeCN)}_n (2·H₂O·MeCN; 3,3'-tpcb = 1,2,3,4-tetrapyridin-3-ylcyclobutane). 2·H₂O·MeCN can lose its solvent molecules to form 2 and further return to 1 at high temperature. Accompanied by direct visualization based on multistep single-crystal-to-single-crystal conversions, the recyclable crystalline solid exhibits remarkable fluorescence changes, which makes it a supramolecular switch for application in multiple anticounterfeiting.

Metal-organic frameworks of linear trinuclear cluster secondary building units: structures and applications

Secondary building units (SBUs) in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are essential from both a structural and performance perspective. While a variety of SBUs, such as paddlewheel CuII2, triangular CrIII3, tetrahedral ZnII4, and octahedral ZrIV6 have been extensively studied, the linear trinuclear SBUs (herein denoted as M₃), though frequently encountered, are rarely discussed as a class. A literature survey reveals that M₃ clusters are ubiquitous in discrete molecular entities as well as in MOFs. Unlike most other cluster types, however, they have an unprecedented metal diversity and ligand tolerance. The single-crystals of some M₃-based MOFs are also sufficiently robust upon guest removal and exchange or multi-step post-modifications to enable catalytic mechanism elucidation. Some of these M₃-based SBUs endow MOFs with stability under demanding conditions necessary, for example, in flue gas separation. Herein we review MOFs sustained by this common but under-appreciated class of SBUs and discuss applications of the resulting MOF motifs.

High Pressure In Situ Single-Crystal X-Ray Diffraction Reveals Turnstile Linker Rotation Upon Room-Temperature Stepped Uptake of Alkanes

The rare availability of suitable single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) structural data allows for the direct interpretation of the response of a framework to gas sorption and may lead to the development of improved functional porous materials. We report an in situ SCXRD structural investigation of a flexible MOF subjected to methane, ethane, propane, and butane gas pressures. Supporting theoretical investigations indicate weak host-guest interactions for the crystallographically modelled gaseous guests and, in addition, reveal that a turnstile mechanism facilitates the transport of alkanes through the seemingly nonporous system. Inflections present in the adsorption isotherms are furthermore rationalized as due to gate-opening, but without the expected creation of new accessible space.

ZEUS (ZIF-based electrochemical ultrasensitive screening) device for isopentane analytics with focus on lung cancer diagnosis

Breath analytics is currently being explored for the development of point-of-care devices in non-invasive disease detection. It is based on the measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and gases that are produced by the body because of the metabolic pathways. The levels of these metabolites vary due to alteration in the endogenous oxidative stress-related metabolic pathways and can be correlated to understand the underlying disease condition. The levels of exhaled hydrocarbons in human breath can be used to design a rapid, easy to use method for lung cancer detection. This work outlines the development of an electrochemical sensing platform that can be used for the non-invasive diagnosis of lung cancer by monitoring isopentane levels in breath. This electrochemical sensor platform involves the use of [BMIM]BF4@ZIF-8 for sensing the target analyte. This synthesized nanocomposite offers advantages for gas sensing applications as it possesses unique properties such as an electrochemically active Room Temperature Ionic Liquid (RTIL) and a crosslinking Metal Organic Framework (MOF) that provides increased surface area for gas absorption. This is the first report of a hydrocarbon-based sensor platform developed for lung cancer diagnosis. The developed sensor platform displays sensitivity and specificity for the detection of isopentane up to 600 parts-per-billion. We performed structural and morphological characterization of the synthesized nanocomposite using various analytical techniques such as PXRD, FESEM, FTIR, and DLS. We further analyzed the electrochemical activity of the synthesized nanocomposite using a standard glassy carbon electrode. The application of the nanocomposite for isopentane sensing was done using a commercially available carbon screen printed electrode. The results so obtained helped in strengthening our hypothesis and serve as a proof-of-concept for the development of a breathomics-enabled electrochemical strategy. We illustrated the specificity of the developed nanocomposite by cross-reactivity studies. We envision that the detection platform will allow sensitive and specific sensing of isopentane levels such that it can used for point of care applications in noninvasive and early diagnosis of lung cancer, thereby leading to its early treatment and decrease in mortality rate.

A flexible microporous framework with temperature-dependent gate-opening behaviours for C2 gases

Herein we report a two-fold interpenetrating pillar-layer microporous material, whose framework severely shrinks after losing guest molecules and transforms into a stable nonporous one. More importantly, the guest-free framework has rarely seen temperature-dependent gate-opening behaviours for C2 gases around room temperature.

Emission-Tunable Soft Porous Organic Crystal Based on Squaraine for Single-Crystal Analysis of Guest-Induced Gate-Opening Transformation

Soft porous crystals (SPCs) with both crystallinity and flexibility have evolved as emerging materials for lots of applications. However, the development of purely organic SPCs (SPOCs) with advanced functionalities significantly lags behind. Herein, we report the construction of an emission-tunable SPOC with a rationally designed squaraine derivative (named as SPOC-SQ). SPOC-SQ is featured with a squaraine core and four peripheries with electron donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) characteristics, which facilitates the formation of porous crystal framework stabilized by π-π interactions and H bonds and at the same time provides structural flexibility through phenyl rotations. This SPOC can be easily obtained from its dichloromethane (DCM) solution and exhibits reversible stimuli-responsive single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) structural transformation, accompanied by bright and tunable emission. In addition, this activated SPOC (SPOC-SQ-a) selectively recognizes and absorbs acetylene (C₂H₂) over other gases without destroying the single crystallinity, enabling the single-crystal XRD analysis of the structural transformation. Close inspection of single-crystal XRD results of SPOC-SQ-C₂H₂ facilitates the understanding of the host-guest interactions. More interestingly, upon interacting with C₂H₂, a one-dimensional (1D) channel is formed in the crystal to adopt C₂H₂, which proves the SCSC process and provides molecular-level insights into the gate-opening process. Furthermore, C₂H₂ adsorption dynamics can be monitored in real time by tracking the fluorescence wavelength changes of SPOC-SQ framework. Thus, the unique gate-opening sorption attribute of SPOC-SQ-a crystals toward C₂H₂ enables its potential applications for gas separation.

Ionic liquid modification of metal-organic framework endows high selectivity for phosphoproteins adsorption

Zr-based metal-organic framework, UiO-66-NH₂, provides favorable adsorption capacity to phosphoproteins, however, it exhibits obvious nonspecific adsorption to other proteins. In the present work, we report a facile strategy to reduce the nonspecific adsorption of nonphosphoproteins by modifying UiO-66-NH₂ with imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs). With respect to bare UiO-66-NH₂, the modified counterpart, UiO@IL, exhibits much improved selectivity to phosphoproteins while maintains comparable adsorption performance. The surface of UiO@IL presents a strong hydrophilicity due to the modification of ILs. Hydrophobic and electrostatic interaction between the absorbent and nonphosphoprotein is significantly reduced. In addition, the interaction between imidazole group of ILs moiety and phosphate group in phosphoprotein ensures the favorable adsorption capacity of UiO@IL for phosphoproteins. Anionic moieties of ILs, i.e., Cl^-, Br^-, BF₄^-, CF₃SO₃^-, play negligible effect in the adsorption process. As a representative, phosphoprotein β-casein (β-ca) is selectively enriched at a mass ratio of BSA:β-ca = 100:1. UiO@IL was further applied for the selective enrichment of phosphoprotein in milk.

The crystalline sponge method: quantum chemical in silico derivation and analysis of guest binding energies

Computational techniques combined with single-crystal structural data provide a means to further analyse MOF-based crystalline sponge complexes.

Highly selective detection of TNP over other nitro compounds in water: the role of selective host–guest interactions in Zr-NDI MOF

A fluorescent Zr-NDI based MOF shows the selective sensing of TNP in water, over other classes of nitro compounds. DFT studies reveal favourable host–guest interactions behind this phenomenon.

Dynamic metal-organic frameworks for the separation of hydrogen isotopes

Reversible structural transformation upon exposure to external stimuli can lead to breathing effect or gate-opening phenomena for dynamic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which endow them with excellent gas separation performance. The separation of hydrogen isotopes remains a huge challenge due to their nearly identical physical and chemical properties. The unique feature of dynamic MOFs, especially structural transition triggered by isotopes or by temperature, maximally enhances kinetic quantum sieving and contributes to the highly selective separation of hydrogen isotopes. Herein, we present some examples for the separation of hydrogen isotopes based on dynamic frameworks, and we expect to attract increasing attention to this research field.

MOF based flexible, low-cost chemiresistive device as a respiration sensor for sleep apnea diagnosis

The monitoring of respiratory disorders requires breath sensors that are fast, robust, and convenient to use and can function under real time conditions. A MOF based flexible sensor is reported for the first time for breath sensing applications. The properties of a highly porous HKUST-1 MOF and a conducting MoS2 material have been combined to fabricate an electronic sensor on a flexible paper support for studying sleep apnea problems. Extensive breath sensing experiments have been performed and interestingly the fabricated sensor is efficient in detecting various kinds of breaths such as deep, fast, slow and hydrated breath. The MOF breath sensor shows a fast response time of just ∼0.38 s and excellent stability with no decline in its performance even after a month. A plausible mechanism has been proposed and a smartphone based prototype has been prepared to demonstrate the real time applications of the hybrid device. This work demonstrates great potential for the application of MOFs in healthcare with a special focus on breath sensing and sleep apnea diagnosis.

A series of four novel alkaline earth metal-organic frameworks constructed of Ca(ii), Sr(ii), Ba(ii) ions and tetrahedral MTB linker: structural diversity, stability study and low/high-pressure gas adsorption properties

A series of four novel microporous alkaline earth metal-organic frameworks (AE-MOFs) containing methanetetrabenzoate linker (MTB) with composition {[Ca4(μ8-MTB)2]·2DMF·4H2O} n (UPJS-6), {[Ca4(μ4-O)(μ8-MTB)3/2(H2O)4]·4DMF·4H2O} n (UPJS-7), {[Sr3(μ7-MTB)3/2]·4DMF·7H2O} n (UPJS-8) and {[Ba3(μ7-MTB)3/2(H2O)6]·2DMF·4H2O} n (UPJS-9) (UPJS = University of Pavol Jozef Safarik) have been successfully prepared and characterized. The framework stability and thermal robustness of prepared materials were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and high-energy powder X-ray diffraction (HE-PXRD). MOFs were tested as adsorbents for different gases at various pressures and temperatures. Nitrogen and argon adsorption showed that the activated samples have moderate BET surface areas: 103 m2 g-1 (N2)/126 m2 g-1 (Ar) for UPJS-7'', 320 m2 g-1 (N2)/358 m2 g-1 (Ar) for UPJS-9'' and UPJS-8'' adsorbs only a limited amount of N2 and Ar. It should be noted that all prepared compounds adsorb carbon dioxide with storage capacities ranging from 3.9 to 2.4 wt% at 20 °C and 1 atm, and 16.4-13.5 wt% at 30 °C and 20 bar. Methane adsorption isotherms show no adsorption at low pressures and with increasing pressure the storage capacity increases to 4.0-2.9 wt% of CH4 at 30 °C and 20 bar. Compounds displayed the highest hydrogen uptake of 3.7-1.8 wt% at -196 °C and 800 Torr among MTB containing MOFs.

Structural diversity, gas adsorption and magnetic properties of three coordination polymers based on a rigid multicarboxylate ligand

A pictogram: the gas adsorption and magnetic properties of three Co(ii) coordination polymers constructed from 3,5-di(2′,5′-dicarboxylphenyl)benzoic acid ligand have been explored.

CO2-induced single-crystal to single-crystal transformations of an interpenetrated flexible MOF explained by in situ crystallographic analysis and molecular modeling

A molecular-level investigation is reported on breathing behaviour of a metal-organic framework (1) in response to CO2 gas pressure. High-pressure gas adsorption shows a pronounced step corresponding to a gate-opening phase transformation from a closed (1cp ) to a large-pore (1lp ) form. A plateau is observed upon desorption corresponding to narrow-pore intermediate form 1np which does not occur during adsorption. These events are corroborated by pressure-gradient differential scanning calorimetry and in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis under controlled CO2 gas pressure. Complete crystallographic characterisation facilitated a rationalisation of each phase transformation in the series 1cp → 1lp → 1np → 1cp during adsorption and subsequent desorption. Metropolis grand-canonical Monte Carlo simulations and DFT-PBE-D3 interaction energy calculations strongly underpin this first detailed structural investigation of an intermediate phase encountered upon desorption.

Enhanced Gas Uptake in a Microporous Metal-Organic Framework via a Sorbate Induced-Fit Mechanism

Physical adsorption of gas molecules in microporous materials is an exothermic process, with desorption entropy driving a decrease in uptake with temperature. Enhanced gas sorption with increasing temperature is rare in porous materials and is indicative of sorbate initiated structural change. Here, sorption of C₂H₆, C₃H₆, and C₃H₈ in a flexible microporous metal-organic framework (MOF) {Cu(FPBDC)]·DMF}_n (NKU-FlexMOF-1) (H₂FPBDC = 5-(5-fluoropyridin-3-yl)-1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid) that increases with rising temperature over a practically useful temperature and pressure range is reported along with other small molecule and hydrocarbon sorption isotherms. Single X-ray diffraction studies, temperature-dependent gas sorption isotherms, in situ and variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction experiments, and electronic structure calculations were performed to characterize the conformation-dependent sorption behavior in NKU-FlexMOF-1. In total, the data supports that the atypical sorption behavior is a result of loading-dependent structural changes in the flexible framework of NKU-FlexMOF-1 induced by sorbate-specific guest-framework interactions. The sorbates cause subtle adaptations of the framework distinct to each sorbate providing an induced-fit separation mechanism to resolve chemically similar hydrocarbons through highly specific sorbate-sorbent interactions. The relevant intermolecular contacts are shown to be predominantly repulsion and dispersion interactions. NKU-FlexMOF-1 is also found to be stable in aqueous solutions including toleration of pH changes. These experiments demonstrate the potential of this flexible microporous MOF for cost and energy efficient industrial hydrocarbon separation and purification processes. The efficacy for the separation of C₃H₆/C₃H₈ mixtures is explicitly demonstrated using NKU-FlexMOF-1a (i.e., activated NKU-FlexMOF-1) for a particular useful temperature range.

Soft Porous Crystal Based upon Organic Cages That Exhibit Guest-Induced Breathing and Selective Gas Separation

Soft porous crystals (SPCs) that exhibit stimuli-responsive dynamic sorption behavior are attracting interest for gas storage/separation applications. However, the design and synthesis of SPCs is challenging. Herein, we report a new type of SPC based on a [2 + 3] imide-based organic cage (NKPOC-1) and find that it exhibits guest-induced breathing behavior. Various gases were found to induce activated NKPOC-1 crystals to reversibly switch from a "closed" nonporous phase (α) to two porous "open" phases (β and γ). The net effect is gate-opening behavior induced by CO₂ and C3 hydrocarbons. Interestingly, NKPOC-1-α selectively adsorbs propyne over propylene and propane under ambient conditions. Thus, NKPOC-1-α has the potential to separate binary and ternary C3 hydrocarbon mixtures, and the performance was subsequently verified by fixed bed column breakthrough experiments. In addition, molecular dynamics calculations and in situ X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the gate-opening effect is accompanied by reversible structural transformations. The adsorption energies from molecular dynamics simulations aid are consistent with the experimentally observed selective adsorption phenomena. The understanding gained from this study of NKPOC-1 supports the further development of SPCs for applications in gas separation/storage because SPCs do not inherently suffer from the recyclability problems often encountered with rigid materials.

Structural Basis of CO₂ Adsorption in a Flexible Metal-Organic Framework Material

This paper reports on the structural basis of CO₂ adsorption in a representative model of flexible metal-organic framework (MOF) material, Ni(1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene)[Ni(CN)₄] (NiBpene or PICNIC-60). NiBpene exhibits a CO₂ sorption isotherm with characteristic hysteresis and features on the desorption branch that can be associated with discrete structural changes. Various gas adsorption effects on the structure are demonstrated for CO₂ with respect to N₂, CH₄ and H₂ under static and flowing gas pressure conditions. For this complex material, a combination of crystal structure determination and density functional theory (DFT) is needed to make any real progress in explaining the observed structural transitions during adsorption/desorption. Possible enhancements of CO₂ gas adsorption under supercritical pressure conditions are considered, together with the implications for future exploitation. In situ operando small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering, neutron diffraction and X-ray diffraction under relevant gas pressure and flow conditions are discussed with respect to previous studies, including ex situ, a priori single-crystal X-ray diffraction structure determination. The results show how this flexible MOF material responds structurally during CO₂ adsorption; single or dual gas flow results for structural change remain similar to the static (Sieverts) adsorption case, and supercritical CO₂ adsorption results in enhanced gas uptake. Insights are drawn for this representative flexible MOF with implications for future flexible MOF sorbent design.

A new dynamic framework with direct in situ visualisation of breathing under CO2 gas pressure

Structural evidence from in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals flexibility in a new non-interpenetrated pillared-layer MOF that switches between a wide-pore and a narrow-pore form.

Fluorinated porous organic frameworks for improved CO2 and CH4 capture

Hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe NMR highlights open porosity of fluorinated organic frameworks which show CO₂ and CH₄ capture with high selectivity towards N₂.

Visualizing Structural Transformation and Guest Binding in a Flexible Metal-Organic Framework under High Pressure and Room Temperature

Understanding the effect of gas molecules on the framework structures upon gas sorption in porous materials is highly desirable for the development of gas storage and separation technologies. However, this remains challenging for flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) which feature "gate-opening/gate-closing" or "breathing" sorption behaviors under external stimuli. Herein, we report such a flexible Cd-MOF that exhibits "gating effect" upon CO₂ sorption. The ability of the desolvated flexible Cd-MOF to retain crystal singularity under high pressure enables the direct visualization of the reversible closed-/open-pore states before and after the structural transformation as induced by CO₂ adsorption/desorption through in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. The binding sites of CO₂ molecules within the flexible MOF under high pressure and room temperature have also been identified via combined in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction and powder X-ray diffraction studies, facilitating the elucidation of the states observed during gate-opening/gate-closing behaviors. Our work therefore lays a foundation to understand the high-pressure gas sorption within flexible MOFs at ambient temperature, which will help to improve the design efforts of new flexible MOFs for applications in responsive gas sorption and separation.

Crystallography of encapsulated molecules

The crystallography of supramolecular host-guest complexes is reviewed and discussed as a part of small molecule crystallography. In these complexes, the host binds the guests through weak supramolecular interactions, such as hydrogen and halogen bonding, cation-π, anion-π, C-H-π, π-π, C-H-anion interactions and the hydrophobic effect. As the guest often shows severe disorder, large thermal motion and low occupancies, the reliable crystallographic determination of the guest can be very demanding. The analysis of host-guest interactions using tools such as Hirshfeld and cavity volume surface analysis will help to look closely at the most important host-guest interactions. The jewel in the crown of utilizing host-guest interactions in the solid-state is the recently developed Crystalline Sponge Method (CSM) by Makoto Fujita. This method, when successful, gives an accurate and unambiguous 3-D structure of the structurally unknown guest molecule from only micro- or nanogram amounts of the guest molecule. In the case of an optically pure enantiomer, its absolute configuration can be determined.

Two luminescent lanthanide–organic frameworks containing bithiophene groups for the selective detection of nitrobenzene and Fe3+

Two isostructural lanthanide–organic frameworks containing bithiophene groups can be used as fast-response fluorescent probes for the sensitive detection of nitrobenzene and Fe³⁺ ions through fluorescence quenching.

Selective and reversible adsorption of cationic dyes by mixed ligand Zn(ii) coordination polymers synthesized by reactant ratio modulation

2D/3D luminescent Zn(ii)-based coordination polymers CP1 and CP2 have been synthesized by reactant ratio modulation. Photoluminescence studies of both CPs; selective and reversible adsorption/separation of cationic dyes by CP1 in the aqueous medium has been investigated.

Controlling Cooperative CO2 Adsorption in Diamine-Appended Mg2(dobpdc) Metal-Organic Frameworks

In the transition to a clean-energy future, CO2 separations will play a critical role in mitigating current greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating conversion to cleaner-burning and renewable fuels. New materials with high selectivities for CO2 adsorption, large CO2 removal capacities, and low regeneration energies are needed to achieve these separations efficiently at scale. Here, we present a detailed investigation of nine diamine-appended variants of the metal-organic framework Mg2(dobpdc) (dobpdc4- = 4,4'-dioxidobiphenyl-3,3'-dicarboxylate) that feature step-shaped CO2 adsorption isotherms resulting from cooperative and reversible insertion of CO2 into metal-amine bonds to form ammonium carbamate chains. Small modifications to the diamine structure are found to shift the threshold pressure for cooperative CO2 adsorption by over 4 orders of magnitude at a given temperature, and the observed trends are rationalized on the basis of crystal structures of the isostructural zinc frameworks obtained from in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. The structure-activity relationships derived from these results can be leveraged to tailor adsorbents to the conditions of a given CO2 separation process. The unparalleled versatility of these materials, coupled with their high CO2 capacities and low projected energy costs, highlights their potential as next-generation adsorbents for a wide array of CO2 separations.

Solvent exchange in a metal-organic framework single crystal monitored by dynamic in situ X-ray diffraction

Understanding the processes by which porous solid-state materials adsorb and release guest molecules would represent a significant step towards developing rational design principles for functional porous materials. To elucidate the process of liquid exchange in these materials, dynamic in situ X-ray diffraction techniques have been developed which utilize liquid-phase chemical stimuli. Using these time-resolved diffraction techniques, the ethanol solvation process in a flexible metal-organic framework [Co(AIP)(bpy)_0.5(H₂O)]·2H₂O was examined. The measurements provide important insight into the nature of the chemical transformation in this system including the presence of a previously unreported neat ethanol solvate structure.