Postsynthetic Modification of a Metal–Organic Framework for Stabilization of a Hemiaminal and Ammonia Uptake

Reversible Adsorption of Ammonia in the Crystalline Solid of a CO2H-Functionalized Cyclic Oligophenylene

Ammonia (NH3) is a viable candidate for the storage and distribution of hydrogen (H2) due to its exceptional volumetric and gravimetric hydrogen energy density. Therefore, it is desirable to develop NH3 storage materials that exhibit robust stability across numerous adsorption-desorption cycles. While porous materials with polymeric frameworks are often used for NH3 capture, achieving reversible NH3 uptake remains a formidable challenge, primarily due to the high reactivity of NH3. Here, we advocate the use of CO2H-functionalized cyclic oligophenylene 1a with high chemical stability as a novel single-molecule-based adsorbent for NH3. Simple reprecipitation of 1a selectively yielded microporous crystalline solid 1a (N). Crystalline 1a (N) adsorbs up to 8.27 mmol/g of NH3 at 100 kPa and 293 K. Adsorbed NH3 in the pore of 1a (N) has a packing density of 0.533 g/cm3 at 293 K, which is close to the density of liquid NH3 (0.681 g/cm3 at 240 K). Crystalline 1a (N) also exhibits reversible NH3 adsorption over at least nine cycles, sustaining its storage capacity (1st cycle: 8.27 mmol/g; 9th cycle: 8.25 mmol/g at 100 kPa and 293 K) and crystallinity. During each desorption cycle, NH3 was removed from 1a (N) under reduced pressure (∼65 Pa), leaving <3% of the total uptake, and 1a (N) was fully purged under dynamic vacuum conditions (∼5 × 10-4 Pa at 293 K for 1 h) before the subsequent adsorption cycles. Thus, microporous crystalline 1a (N) can reliably adsorb and desorb NH3 repeatedly, which avoids the need for heat-based activation between cycles.

The design of high-efficient MOFs for selective Ag(I) capture: DFT calculations and practical applications

Recovering silver from wastewater not only significantly reduces environmental harm but also meets the growing demand for silver in modern industry. Here, a novel metal-organic framework adsorbent (MOF-RD) using rhodanine derivatives as linkers is introduced for the efficient and selective capture of silver ions in real wastewater. The adsorption of MOF-RD followed pseudo-second-order and Sips models, and thermodynamic investigations revealed the process to be endothermic. MOF-RD demonstrated a remarkable adsorption capacity of 707.2 mg·g-1 for Ag(I) at pH 5 and 318 K. The interaction between silver ions and MOF-RD was mainly electrostatic attraction and coordination, with coordination primarily occurring at the CO and CS sites within the rhodanine motif. The practical applicability of MOF-RD for selective adsorption of Ag(I) was validated in actual wastewater with high-concentration competing metal ions. Furthermore, after 10 adsorption-desorption cycle experiments, MOF-RD still retained a strong regenerative capability. The results reveal the good potential of MOF-RD as an adsorbent for selectively recovering Ag(I) from industrial wastewater. Additionally, the strategies and methods adopted in this article also provide new perspectives and technical paths for the separation and recovery of other metal ions in wastewater.

Application and Challenge of Metal/Covalent Organic Frameworks in Ammonia Sorption and Separation

As both a critical chemical feedstock and an environmental pollutant, the production and utilization of ammonia (NH3) are accompanied by the progress of social civilization. In recent years, research on metal/covalent organic framework materials as NH3 adsorbents has attracted increasing attention due to their high porosity, versatile architecture and tunable functionality. This review was organized to highlight the recent advancement of MOF/COF materials for NH3 sorption, which successively presented the key properties of solid adsorbents and summarized the strategies along with their mechanisms for enhancing NH3 adsorption. In addition, perspectives and outlook regarding the future development of MOF/COF-based NH3 adsorbents were outlined to meet the requirements of practical applications under various condition.

Synthesis of metal-organic frameworks with multiple nitrogen groups for selective capturing Ag(I) from wastewater

As a noble metal with extremely high economic benefits, the recovery of silver ions has attracted a particular deal of attention. However, it is a challenge to recover silver ions efficiently and selectively from aqueous solutions. In this research, the novel metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) adsorbent (Zr-DPHT) is prepared for the highly efficient and selective recovery of silver ions from wastewater. Experimental findings reveal that Zr-DPHT's adsorption of Ag(I) constitutes an endothermic process, with an optimal pH of 5 and exhibits a maximum adsorption capacity of 268.3 mg·g-1. Isotherm studies show that the adsorption of Ag(I) by Zr-DPHT is mainly monolayer chemical adsorption. Kinetic studies indicate that the internal diffusion of Ag(I) in Zr-DPHT may be the rate-limiting step. The mechanism for Ag(I) adsorption on Zr-DPHT involves electrostatic interactions and chelation. In competitive adsorption, Ag(I) has the largest partition coefficient (9.64 mL·mg-1), indicating a strong interaction between Zr-DPHT and Ag(I). It is proven in the adsorption-desorption cycle experiments that Zr-DPHT has good regeneration performance. The research results indicate that Zr-DPHT can serve as a potential adsorbent for efficiently and selectively capturing Ag(I), providing a new direction for MOFs in the recycling field of precious metals.

Reversible Postsynthetic Modification in a Metal-Organic Framework

Postsynthetic modification (PSM) of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provides access to functional materials and advanced porous solid engineering. Herein, we report the reversible PSM of a multivariate isoreticular MOF by applying dynamic furan-maleimide Diels-Alder (DA) chemistry. The key step involves incorporating a furan group into the MOF via "click" PSM, which can then undergo repeated cycles of modification and de-modification with maleimides. The structural integrity, crystallinity, and porosity of the furan-appended MOF remained intact even after three consecutive PSM/de-modification cycles using three different functionalized maleimides.

Pyrazinyl and pyridinyl bis-azomethines formation: an experimental and computational study

Formation of bis-azomethines from hydrazine and heterocyclic aromatic carbaldehydes, namely pyridine-2-carbaldehyde and pyrazine-2-carbaldehyde, is studied using density functional theory. The theoretical investigation is correlated with experimental results obtained by means of NMR spectroscopy. The presence of bis-hemiaminal intermediates is evidenced by NMR spectra while surprisingly stable hemiaminal intermediate was isolated experimentally. Water, methanol and acetic acid were outlined to play a crucial role as active catalysts of elementary steps of the reaction mechanisms. The possible reaction sequences, i.e. addition-dehydration-addition-dehydration or addition-addition-dehydration-dehydration are investigated and discussed. Also, alternative mechanistic path via ionic mechanism was proposed for the formation of hemiaminals.

Porous acid-base hybrid polymers for enhanced NH3 uptake with assistance from cooperative hydrogen bonds

Carboxylic acid-modified materials are a common means of achieving efficient NH3 adsorption. In this study, we report that improved NH3 adsorption capacity and easier desorption can be achieved through the introduction of substances containing Lewis basic groups into carboxylic acid-modified materials. Easily synthesized mesoporous acid-base hybrid polymers were constructed with polymers rich in carboxylic acid and Lewis base moieties through cooperative hydrogen bonding interactions (CHBs). The hybrid polymer PAA-P4VP presented higher NH3 capacity (18.2 mmol g-1 at 298 K and 1 bar NH3 pressure) than PAA (6.0 mmol g-1) through the acid-base reaction and the assistance from CHBs with NH3, while the NH3 desorption from PAA-P4VP was easier for the reformation of CHBs. Based on the introduction of CHBs, a series of mesoporous acid-base hybrid polymers was synthesized with NH3 adsorption capacity of 15.8-19.3 mmol g-1 and high selectivity of NH3 over CO2 (SNH3/CO2 = 25.4-56.3) and N2 (SNH3/N2 = 254-1068), and the possible co-existing gases, such as SO2, had a lower effect on NH3 uptake by hybrid polymers. Overall, the hybrid polymers present efficient NH3 adsorption owing to the abundant acidic moieties and CHBs, while the concomitant Lewis bases promote NH3 desorption.

Thermosalient effect of a naphthalene diimide and tetrachlorocobaltate hybrid and changes of color and magnetic properties by ammonia vapor

An organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide (OIMH), namely the electron-deficient naphthalene diimide (NDI) and [CoCl₄]^2- hybrid (1), showed potential as a sensor for ammonia and amines, in addition to magnetic changes upon vapochromism. Crystal 1 exhibited thermosalient behavior such as leaping and movement, at around 130 °C, which could be explained to be associated with the removal of water molecules from the crystal lattice as shown by TGA and DSC. Compound 1 changed from green to black within 5 minutes when exposed to ammonia vapor, which was attributed to the radical formation in the NDI moiety as evidenced by ESR, and this phenomenon was preserved even when other mono- and di-alkylamines were applied. The exposure of 1 to ammonia resulted in a subsequent color alteration, progressing from black to a gradually dark orange after one day (1_NH3_1 day). This transformation was concomitant with the formation of [Co(NH₃)₆]³⁺ from [CoCl₄]^2-, leading to a modification of the magnetic properties from paramagnetic Co(II) (S = 3/2) to diamagnetic Co(III) (S = 0). Based on these findings, compound 1 represents the first example of an OIMH that exhibits thermosalient behaviour, color change, and magnetic conversion upon exposure to ammonia.

Enhanced Gas Adsorption on Cu3(BTC)2 Metal-Organic Framework by Post-Synthetic Cation Exchange and Computational Analysis

Increased gas adsorption in a series of post-synthetically modified metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of the type HKUST-1 was achieved by the partial cation exchange process. Manipulation of post-synthetic conditions demonstrates high tunability in the site substitution and gas adsorption properties during the dynamic equilibrium process. In this work, post-synthetic modification of Cu₃(BTC)₂ is carried on by exposure to TM²⁺ solutions (TM = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) at different time intervals. The crystal structure, composition, and morphology were studied by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Structural analysis supports the retention of the crystal structure and partial substitution of the Cu metal nodes within the framework. A linear increase in the transmetalation process is observed with Fe and Co with a maximum percentage of 39 and 18%, respectively. Conversely, relatively low cation exchange is observed with Mn having a maximum percentage of 2.40% and Ni with only 2.02%. Gas adsorption measurements and surface area analysis were determined for each species. Interestingly, (Cu/Mn)₃(BTC)₂ revealed the highest CO₂ adsorption capacity of 5.47 mmol/g, compared to 3.08 mmol/g for Cu₃(BTC)₂. The overall increased gas adsorption can be attributed to the formation of defects in the crystal structure during the cation exchange process. These results demonstrate the outstanding potential of post-synthetic ion exchange as a general approach to fine-tuning the physical properties of existing MOF architectures.

Controlled Covalent Functionalization of ZIF-90 for Selective CO2 Capture & Separation

Mixed Matrix Membranes (MMM) with enhanced selectivity and permeability are preferred for gas separations. The porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) materials incorporated in them play a crucial part in improving the performance of MMM. In this study, Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-90) are selected to fabricate Polyetherimide (PEI) MMMs owing to their lucrative structural and chemical properties. This work reports new controlled post-synthetic modifications of ZIF-90 (50-PSM-ZIF-90) with ethanolamine to control the diffusion and uptake of CO2. Physical and chemical properties of ZIF-90, such as stability and presence of aldehyde functionality in the imidazolate linker, allow for easy modulation of the ZIF-90 pores and window size to tune the gas transport properties across ZIF-90-based membranes. Effects of these materials were investigated on the performance of MMMs and compared with pure PEI membranes. Performance of the MMMs was evaluated in terms of permeability of different gases and selective separation of CO2 and H2 gas. Results presented that the permeability of all membranes was in the following order, i.e., P(H2) > P(CO2) > P(O2) > P(CH4) > P(C2H6) > P(C3H8) > P(N2), demonstrating that kinetic gas diffusion is the predominant gas transport mode in these membranes. Among all the membranes, permeability of pure PEI membrane was highest for all gases due to the uniform porous morphology. The pure PEI membrane showed highest permeability of H2, which is 486.5 Barrer, followed by 49 Barrer for O2, 29 Barrer for N2, 142 Barrer for CO2, 41 Barrer for CH4, 40 Barrer for C2H6 and 39.6 Barrer for C3H8. Results also confirm the superiority of controlled PSM-ZIF-90-PEI membrane over the pure PEI and ZIF-90-PEI membranes in CO2 and H2 separation performance. The 50-PSM-ZIF-90 PEI membrane exhibited a 20% increase in CO2 separation from methane and a 26% increase over nitrogen compared to the ZIF-90-PEI membrane. The 50-PSM-ZIF-90 PEI membrane showed 15% more H2/O2 separation and 9% more H2/CH4 separation than ZIF-90 PEI membrane. Overall, this study represents the role of controlled PSM in enhancing the property of new materials like ZIF and its application in MMMs fabrication to develop a promising approach for the CO2 capture and separation.

Negatively Charged MOF-Based Composite Anion Exchange Membrane with High Cation Selectivity and Permeability

Every metal and metallurgical industry is associated with the generation of wastewater, influencing the living and non-living environment, which is alarming to environmentalists. The strict regulations about the dismissal of acid and metal into the environment and the increasing emphasis on the recycling/reuse of these effluents after proper remedy have focused the research community's curiosity in developing distinctive approaches for the recovery of acid and metals from industrial wastewaters. This study reports the synthesis of UiO-66-(COOH)₂ using dual ligand in water as a green solvent. Then, the prepared MOF nanoparticles were introduced into the DMAM quaternized QPPO matrix through a straightforward blending approach. Four defect-free UiO-66-(COOH)₂/QPPO MMMs were prepared with four different MOF structures. The BET characterization of UiO-66-(COOH)₂ nanoparticles with a highly crystalline structure and sub-nanometer pore size (~7 Å) was confirmed by XRD. Because of the introduction of MOF nanoparticles with an electrostatic interaction and pore size screening effect, a separation coefficient (S_HCl/FeCl2) of 565 and U_HCl of 0.0089 m·h^-1 for U-C(60)/QPPO were perceived when the loading dosage of the MOF content was 10 wt%. The obtained results showed that the prepared defect-free MOF membrane has broad prospects in acid recovery applications.

Flower-Shaped Ni/Co MOF with the Highest Adsorption Capacity for Reactive Dyes

Reactive dyes are widely used in textile industry, but their excessive use has caused several water pollution problems. In order to reasonably treat printing and dyeing wastewater, the highly efficient adsorbent for reactive dyes employed in this study is a new type metal-organic framework (MOF) material. Ni/Co MOF (NCM) was synthesized using the solvothermal method; then, the materials were analyzed by a series of characterization methods. This study mainly investigated the adsorption properties of NCM toward reactive dyes, and the adsorption capacities of NCM toward reactive red 218 were up to 200 mg·g^-1. The results were found to conform to the Langmuir isotherm model, and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model by performing kinetic and isotherm studies on the adsorption process of reactive red 218 on NCM. The results of the intraparticle diffusion model suggest that the binding of reactive red 218 to NCM was mainly divided into three steps: adsorption, diffusion, and saturation. Moreover, it was concluded by thermodynamic fitting of the adsorption process that the adsorption of reactive red 218 by NCM proceeded spontaneously and was accompanied by an endothermic reaction, in which the adsorption of both occurred mainly by electrostatic attraction. The NCM has good reusability and still has good adsorption performance after being reused 5 times. Therefore, NCM is a very promising and excellent adsorbent for the treatment of dye wastewater because of its high efficiency and reusability.

Highly efficient functionalized MOF-LIC-1 for extraction of U(VI) and Th(IV) from aqueous solution: experimental and theoretical studies

A set of four new functionalized MOFs, namely MOF-LIC-DPPC, MOF-LIC-GA, MOF-LIC-PCA and MOF-LIC-SA, were synthesized via the post-synthetic modification (PSM) strategy using MOF-LIC-1 for efficient extraction of U(VI) and Th(IV) from an aqueous medium. FTIR, powder XRD, TGA and SEM-EDX were employed for characterization of the functionalized MOFs. Sorption studies for U(VI) and Th(IV) were performed by monitoring the pH and contact time. Interestingly, the modified MOF-LIC-SA displayed rapid (∼5 min) and efficient extraction towards U(VI) and Th(IV) from an aqueous medium and modified MOF-LIC-DPPC displayed enhanced thermal stability (600 °C) compared with the parent MOF-LIC-1 (450 °C). These studies revealed that the grafted functionalities on MOF-LIC-1 possess enhanced sorption efficiency towards U(VI) and Th(IV) as well as thermal stability. MOF-LIC-SA exhibited the highest sorption capacity towards U(VI) and Th(IV), viz. 298 mg g^-1 (pH 6) and 149 mg g^-1 (pH 6), respectively. Leaching, recyclability, and radiation stability studies were also performed using MOF-LIC-1 MOFs. Additionally, we investigated the nature of U(VI) interactions on MOFs by applying density functional theory (DFT). PSM MOFs with various functionalities display high selectivity and efficient extraction of U(VI) and Th(IV) over a wide pH range (2-9) and also exhibit easy recovery of metal ions from MOFs. These studies reveal that U(VI) and Th(IV) can be extracted from aqueous streams in a pH range from 6 to 8 and potential applications of these MOFs include recovery of U(VI) and Th(IV) from mine water, sea water, etc. The studies reported in the present work also have extensive potential applications for environmental concerns as well as in the nuclear industry.

An amino functionalized zirconium metal organic framework as a catalyst for oxidative desulfurization

The excellent activity of UiO-66-NH2 may be attributed to the synergistic effect of ZrIV–OH and –NH2.

Photoswitchable Zirconium MOF for Light-Driven Hydrogen Storage

Here, we report a new photosensitive metal–organic framework (MOF) that was constructed via the modification of UiO-66-NH₂ with diarylethene molecules (DAE, 4-(5-Methoxy-1,2-dimethyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-3-(2,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)-4-furan-2,5-dione). The material that was obtained was a highly crystalline porous compound. The photoresponse of the modified MOF was observed via UV–Vis and IR spectroscopy. Most of the DAE molecules inside of the UiO-66-pores had an open conformation after synthesis. However, the equilibrium was able to be shifted further toward an open conformation using visible light irradiation with a wavelength of 520 nm. Conversely, UV-light with a wavelength of 450 nm initiated the transformation of the photoresponsive moieties inside of the pores to a closed modification. We have shown that this transformation could be used to stimulate hydrogen adsorption–desorption processes. Specifically, visible light irradiation increased the H₂ capacity of modified MOF, while UV-light decreased it. A similar hybrid material with DAE moieties in the UiO-66 scaffold was applied for hydrogen storage for the first time. Additionally, the obtained results are promising for smart H₂ storage that is able to be managed via light stimuli.

Metal-Organic Frameworks for Ammonia-Based Thermal Energy Storage

Recently, the application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in thermal energy storage has attracted increasing research interests. MOF-ammonia working pairs have been proposed for controlling/sensing the air quality, while no work has yet been reported on the immense potential of MOFs for thermal energy storage up till now. Herein, the feasibility of thermal energy storage using seven MOF-ammonia working pairs is experimentally assessed. From ammonia sorption stability and sorption thermodynamics results, it is found that MIL-101(Cr) exhibits both high ammonia sorption stability and the largest sorption capacity of ≈0.76 g g^-1 . Compared with MIL-101(Cr)-water working pair, MIL-101(Cr)-ammonia working pair improves the sorption capacity by over three times with evaporation temperature lower than 8.4 °C. Due to stable ammonia sorption stability and negligible hysteresis, MIL-101(Cr) and ZIF-8(Zn) are tested at condensation/evaporation temperature of 30 °C/10 °C. The thermal energy storage density (reaching over 1200 kJ kg^-1 ) and coefficient of performance of MIL-101(Cr)-based system are both higher than ZIF-8(Zn)-based one due to larger average isosteric enthalpy and cycle sorption capacity. This experimental work paves the way for developing the high efficient and stable thermal energy storage system with MOF-ammonia working pairs especially for critical conditions with low evaporation temperature and high condensation temperature.

Enhancing toxic gas uptake performance of Zr-based MOF through uncoordinated carboxylate and copper insertion; ammonia adsorption

This study reports the development of a new type of Zr-based MOF by inserting copper and carboxylate into HCl modulated UiO-67 (UiO-67-vac) which gained higher surface area/vacant than UiO-67. Copper was inserted into MOF containing uncoordinated carboxylate group, to create open metal site in the form of -COOCu which called UiO-67-ox-Cu. PXRD, FTIR, BET, SEM, EDS, UV-Vis and XPS were used to characterize the obtained MOFs. As expected, UiO-67-ox-Cu exhibits the highest ammonia capacity (178.3 mg/g) among UiO-67 (104 mg/g) and UiO-67-vac (121 mg/g) at 298 K and 1 bar pressure. In fact, the significant increase in ammonia uptake of UiO-67-ox-Cu is related to the modified binding affinity of -COOCu groups with ammonia. Moreover, UiO-67-vac with the highest surface area showed the hydrogen adsorption capacity of 18.75 mg/g at 77 K, which is comparable or even superior to the previously reported value. Interestingly, adsorption capacities were retained with slight changes around five cycles and three regeneration temperatures, 25, 60 and 120 °C under vacuum pressure which were proved by PXRD after ammonia adsorption/desorption. The good results obtained in the current work clearly show the role of postsynthesis functionalization approach for creation of new metal/active sites into MOFs.

Boosting Ammonia Uptake within Metal-Organic Frameworks by Anion Modulating Strategy

Ammonia with toxic and corrosive features needs advanced protective materials and removal tools, although it is a vital component in human food supply processes. So, to satisfy these requirements, materials with high adsorption capacity and affinity for ammonia should be developed. The present research has been focused on a series zinc-based metal-organic frameworks (MOF) containing mixed ligands, biphenyl dicarboxylic acid (BPDA) and tris(4-(4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)phenyl)amine (TTPA), which are modulated by different anions including CH₃COO^-, CF₃COO^-, and CF₃SO₃^-. Ammonia uptake capacity was measured via static and dynamic conditions under 50% relative humidity. Among all compounds, CF₃SO₃^- anion could enhance the ammonia uptake capacity of MOFs up to 177.85 and 349 mg/g during static and breakthrough measurements, respectively, so that 83.30% of the total uptake capacity (at P/P_o = 1.0 and 298 K) was achieved at low relative pressure range (up to 0.1). The isosteric heats of ammonia adsorption on PFC-27 and derivatives were calculated in the range of 7.03-10.16 kJ mol^-1 so that they increased upon CF₃SO₃^-, CF₃COO^-, and CH₃COO^- ion incorporation. This is potentially beneficial for enhanced ammonia adsorption. Interestingly, adsorption capacities were retained with only slight changes after five cycles and three regeneration temperatures, 25 °C, 60 °C, and 120 °C, under vacuum. The special affinity for NH₃ adsorption and MOF phase stability after desorption is clearly proved by FTIR spectra and PXRD analysis, respectively. Generally, the results suggest that ion insertion modification is an efficient strategy for enhancement of MOF adsorption performance.

Zirconium Metal-Organic Frameworks Integrating Chloride Ions for Ammonia Capture and/or Chemical Separation

Ammonia capture by porous materials is relevant to protection of humans from chemical threats, while ammonia separation may be relevant to its isolation and use following generation by emerging electrochemical schemes. Our previous work described both reversible and irreversible interactions of ammonia with the metal-organic framework (MOF) material, NU-1000, following thermal treatment at either 120 or 300 °C. In the present work, we have examined NU-1000-Cl, a variant that features a modified node structure-at ambient temperature, Zr₆(μ₃-O)₄(μ₃-OH)₄(H₂O)₈¹²⁺ in place of Zr₆(μ₃-O)₄(μ₃-OH)₄(OH)₄(H₂O)₄⁸⁺. Carboxylate termini from each of eight linkers balance the 8+ charge of the parent node, while four chloride ions, attached only by hydrogen bonding, complete the charge balance for the 12+ version. We find that both reversible and irreversible uptake of ammonia are enhanced for NU-1000-Cl, relative to the chloride-free version. Two irreversible interactions were observed via in situ diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy: coordination of NH₃ at open Zr sites generated during thermal pretreatment and formation of NH₄⁺ by proton transfer from node aqua ligands. The irreversibility of the latter appears to be facilitated by the presence chloride ions, as NH₄⁺ formation occurs reversibly with chloride-free NU-1000. At room temperature, chemically reversible (and irreversible) interactions between ammonia and NU-1000-Cl result in separation of NH₃ from N₂ when gas mixtures are examined with breakthrough instrumentation, as evinced by a much longer breakthrough time (∼9 min) for NH₃.

Exceptional Packing Density of Ammonia in a Dual-Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework

We report the reversible adsorption of ammonia (NH₃) up to 9.9 mmol g^-1 in a robust Al-based metal-organic framework, MFM-303(Al), which is functionalized with free carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups. The unique pore environment decorated with these acidic sites results in an exceptional packing density of NH₃ at 293 K (0.801 g cm^-3) comparable to that of solid NH₃ at 193 K (0.817 g cm^-3). In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering reveal the critical role of free -COOH and -OH groups in immobilizing NH₃ molecules. Breakthrough experiments confirm the excellent performance of MFM-303(Al) for the capture of NH₃ at low concentrations under both dry and wet conditions.

Ammonia Capture within Zirconium Metal-Organic Frameworks: Reversible and Irreversible Uptake

Ammonia uptake by high-capacity and high-porosity sorbents is a promising approach to its storage and release, capture and mitigation, and chemical separation. Here, we examined the ammonia sorption behavior of several versions of an archetypal zirconium-based metal-organic framework (MOF) material, NU-1000-a meso- and microporous crystalline compound having the empirical formula (1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-benzoate)pyrene)₂ Zr₆(μ₃-O)₄(μ₃-OH)₄(H₂O)₄(OH)₄ with linkers and nodes arranged to satisfy a csq topology. Depending on the thermal treatment protocol used prior to sorption measurements, ammonia can physisorb to NU-1000 via hydrogen-bonding and London-dispersion interactions and chemisorb via Brønsted acid-base reactions with node-integrated proton donors (μ₃-hydroxos) and node-ligated proton donors (terminal hydroxos), via simple coordination at open Zr(IV) sites, or via dissociative coordination to Zr(IV) as NH₂^- and protonation of a node-based μ₃-oxo. Ammonia adsorption occurs via both reversible and irreversible processes. The latter are of particular interest for protection and mitigation. Notably, the unexpected dissociative adsorption occurs only with nodes that have been fully dehydrated and irreversibly structurally distorted via thermal pre-treatment-a finding that is supported by density functional theory calculations. Differentiating and ranking the relative importance of the many modes of adsorption was facilitated, in part, by the availability of variants of NU-1000 that replace the majority of terminal aqua and hydroxo ligands with nonstructural formate ligands, auxiliary ditopic linkers, or both. The study provides insights into the chemical basis for both reversible and irreversible uptake of ammonia by Zr-MOFs and related compounds. The unexpectedly rich variety of sorption motifs suggest the criteria for designing or choosing MOFs that are optimal for specific ammonia-centric applications.

XGBoost: An Optimal Machine Learning Model with Just Structural Features to Discover MOF Adsorbents of Xe/Kr

The inert gases Xe and Kr mainly exist in the used nuclear fuel (UNF) with the Xe/Kr ratio of 20:80, which it is difficult to separate. In this work, based on the G-MOFs database, high-throughput computational screening for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with high Xe/Kr adsorption selectivity was performed by combining grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations and machine learning (ML) technique for the first time. From the comparison of eight classical ML models, it is found that the XGBoost model with seven structural descriptors has superior accuracy in predicting the adsorption and separation performance of MOFs to Xe/Kr. Compared with energetic or electronic descriptors, structural descriptors are easier to obtain. Note that the determination coefficients R 2 of the generalized model for the Xe adsorption and Xe/Kr selectivity are very close to 1, at 0.951 and 0.973, respectively. In addition, 888 and 896 MOFs have been successfully predicted by the XGBoost model among the top 1000 MOFs in adsorption capacity and selectivity by GCMC simulation, respectively. According to the feature engineering of the XGBoost model, it is shown that the density (ρ), porosity (ϕ), pore volume (Vol), and pore limiting diameter (PLD) of MOFs are the key features that affect the Xe/Kr adsorption property. To test the generalization ability of the XGBoost model, we also tried to screen MOF adsorbents on the CO2/CH4 mixture, it is found that the prediction performance of XGBoost is also much better than that of the traditional machine learning models although with the unbalanced data. Note that the dimension of features of MOFs is low while the quantity of MOF samples in database is very large, which is suitable for the prediction by model such as XGBoost to search the global minimum of cost function rather than the model involving feature creation. The present study represents the first report using the XGBoost algorithm to discover the MOF adsorbates.

The state of the field: from inception to commercialization of metal–organic frameworks

We provide a brief overview of the state of the MOF field from their inception to their synthesis, potential applications, and finally, to their commercialization.

Rapid Ammonia Carriers for SCR Systems Using MOFs [M2(adc)2(dabco)] (M = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn)

Ammonia is one of the most common reductants for the automotive selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system owing to its high NO2 reduction (deNOx) efficiency. However, ammonia carriers for the SCR system have sluggishly evolved to achieve rapid ammonia dosing. In this study, the MOFs [M2(adc)2(dabco)] (M = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) were synthesized and characterized as ammonia carriers. Among the four obtained MOFs, Ni2(adc)2(dabco) possessed the highest surface area, 772 m2/g, highest ammonia uptake capacity, 12.1 mmol/g, and stable cyclic adsorption-desorption performance. All the obtained MOFs demonstrated physisorption of ammonia and rapid kinetics of ammonia adsorption and desorption. Compared with halide ammonia carrier MgCl2, the obtained MOFs showed four times faster adsorption kinetics to reach 90% of the ammonia uptake capacity. For the ammonia desorption, the Ni2(adc)2(dabco) provided 6 mmol/g ammonia dosing when temperature reached 125 °C in the first 10 min, which was six times of the ammonia dosing from Mg(NH3)6Cl2. The results offer a solution to shorten the buffering time for ammonia dosing in the SCR system.

Emerging Porous Materials and Their Composites for NH3 Gas Removal

NH3, essential for producing artificial fertilizers and several military and commercial products, is being produced at a large scale to satisfy increasing demands. The inevitable leakage of NH3 during its utilization, even in trace concentrations, poses significant environmental and health risks because of its highly toxic and reactive nature. Although numerous techniques have been developed for the removal of atmospheric NH3, conventional NH3 abatement systems possess the disadvantages of high maintenance cost, low selectivity, and emission of secondary wastes. In this context, highly tunable porous materials such as metal-organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, hydrogen organic frameworks, porous organic polymers, and their composite materials have emerged as next-generation NH3 adsorbents. Herein, recent progress in the development of porous NH3 adsorbents is summarized; furthermore, factors affecting NH3 capture are analyzed to provide a reasonable strategy for the design and synthesis of promising materials for NH3 abatement.

Water and Metal-Organic Frameworks: From Interaction toward Utilization

The steep stepwise uptake of water vapor and easy release at low relative pressures and moderate temperatures together with high working capacities make metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) attractive, promising materials for energy efficient applications in adsorption devices for humidity control (evaporation and condensation processes) and heat reallocation (heating and cooling) by utilizing water as benign sorptive and low-grade renewable or waste heat. Emerging MOF-based process applications covered are desiccation, heat pumps/chillers, water harvesting, air conditioning, and desalination. Governing parameters of the intrinsic sorption properties and stability under humid conditions and cyclic operation are identified. Transport of mass and heat in MOF structures, at least as important, is still an underexposed topic. Essential engineering elements of operation and implementation are presented. An update on stability of MOFs in water vapor and liquid systems is provided, and a suite of 18 MOFs are identified for selective use in heat pumps and chillers, while several can be used for air conditioning, water harvesting, and desalination. Most applications with MOFs are still in an exploratory state. An outlook is given for further R&D to realize these applications, providing essential kinetic parameters, performing smart engineering in the design of systems, and conceptual process designs to benchmark them against existing technologies. A concerted effort bridging chemistry, materials science, and engineering is required.

Anhydride Post-Synthetic Modification in a Hierarchical Metal-Organic Framework

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are important porous materials. Post-synthetic modification (PSM) of MOFs via the pendant groups or secondary functional groups of organic linkers has been widely used to introduce new or enhance existing properties of MOFs for various practical applications. In this work, we have constructed, for the first time, a novel platform for PSM of MOFs by introducing an anhydride functional group into a hierarchically porous MOF (MIL-121) as an effective anchor. We have demonstrated that the combination of the high reactivity of anhydride and hierarchical porosity makes this protocol particularly novel and important, as it led to excellent opportunities of incorporating not only a wide variety of organic molecules with different sizes and chemical nature but also the noble metal complexes in MOFs. Specifically, we show that the anhydride group decorated in the MOF exhibits a high reactivity toward covalently binding 10 different guest molecules including alcohols, amines, thiols, and noble metal (Pt(II)/Pt(IV)) complexes, whereas the hierarchical pores created in the MOF allow the incorporation of guest species varying in size from methanol to larger molecules such as polyaromatic amines. This novel approach provides the community with a new avenue to prepare MOF-based materials for targeted applications. To illustrate this point, we furnish an example of using this new platform to prepare a Pt-based electrocatalyst which shows excellent catalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), a pivotal half-reaction in hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells and other energy storage and conversion devices.

Tailoring the luminescence of atomic clusters via ligand exchange reaction mediated post synthetic modification

The growing prominence of atomic nanoclusters in fields of practical relevance has made modulation of their luminescent characteristics an important challenge for their future applications. Herein we report chemical reaction assisted modulation of luminescence of histidine stabilized gold nanoclusters via a ligand exchange reaction with cysteine. Upon addition of 3.8 mM cysteine, as evinced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in conjunction with transmission electron microscopic analyses, histidine molecules were found to desorb from the surface of the Au NCs leading to the latter's aggregation into macroscopic units. Consequently, the luminescence of the His Au NCs underwent a large bathochromic shift from 475 nm to 500 nm with a concomitant decrease in the luminescence intensity. Thereafter, upon addition of 18 mM cysteine to a dispersion of His Au NCs, cysteine molecules by virtue of strong aurophilic interactions were found to adsorb on to the surface of the Au NCs, leading to the disaggregation of the macroscopic structures. This was accompanied by restoration of the luminescence features of the Au NCs to an emission maximum of 486 nm with partial recovery of the luminescence intensity. Thus, the work embodied herein demonstrates post-synthetic chemical reactions of nanoclusters as an effective and viable tool for tailoring the photoluminescence of atomic clusters to meet application demands.

Inside/Outside: Post-Synthetic Modification of the Zr-Benzophenonedicarboxylate Metal-Organic Framework

The Zr‐based metal–organic framework, Zr‐bzpdc‐MOF, contains the photoreactive linker molecule benzophenone‐4,4′‐dicarboxylate (bzpdc) which imparts the possibility for photochemical post‐synthetic modification. Upon irradiation with UV light, the keto group of the benzophenone moiety will react with nearly every C−H bond‐containing molecule. Within this paper, we further explore the photochemical reactivity of the Zr‐bzpdc‐MOF, especially with regard to which restrictions govern internal versus external reactions. We show that apart from reactions with C−H bond‐containing molecules, the MOF reacts also with water. By studying the reactivity versus linear alcohols we find a clear delineation in that shorter alcohol molecules (up to butanol as a borderline case) react with photoexcited keto groups throughout the whole crystals whereas longer ones react only with surface‐standing keto groups. In addition, we show that with the alkanes n‐butane to n‐octane, the reaction is restricted to the outer surface. We hypothesize that the reactivity of the Zr‐bzpdc‐MOF versus different reagents depends on the accessibility of the pore system which in turn depends mainly on the size of the reagents and on their polarity. The possibility to direct the post‐synthetic modification of the Zr‐bzpdc‐MOF (selective modification of the whole pore system versus surface modification) gives additional degrees of freedom in the design of this metal–organic framework for shaping and for applications.

Integration of Fe3O4@UiO-66-NH2@MON core-shell structured adsorbents for specific preconcentration and sensitive determination of aflatoxins against complex sample matrix

Aflatoxins have been a hot topic in the field related into public health and ecosystem protection, and great effort has been made in developing of adsorptive materials for effective probing the target aflatoxins. Conventional materials, like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) showed promising application in separation science. However, the cumbersome separation process, competitive adsorption are also major challenges. Regarding this, a novel magnetic micro-composite denoted as Fe₃O₄@UiO-66-NH₂@MON with core-shell structure was constructed. The core of Fe₃O₄ microspheres was coated with MOFs crystals, and then microporous organic network (MON) was introduced onto the surface of Fe₃O₄@UiO-66-NH₂ through a sonogashira coupling reaction. It exhibited good magnetic separation ability, which effectively simplified the pre-treatment steps. The proposed method possessed excellent selectivity and sensitivity, with detection limits in the range of 0.15-0.87 μg L^-1 combination with HPLC analysis. More importantly, the MON coating significantly improved the hydro-stability of whole adsorbents, thus enhancing the adsorption efficiency and favoring the practical application of the materials. The developed Fe₃O₄@UiO-66-NH₂@MON-based solid extraction method has been well-applied for real sample analysis, with the recovery of 87.3%-101.8%. We believe the newly-constructed hybrid nano-adsorbents hold great potential in further application in various analytical methods for different target analytes.

Hemiaminal route for the formation of interstellar glycine: a computational study

Calculations related to two simple two-step paths (path-I: [Formula: see text] path-II: [Formula: see text]) for the formation of glycine have been discussed. Calculations show that at interstellar conditions these two paths are feasible only in hot cores, not in the cold interstellar clouds (cold core formation is possible only if CH₂ = NH, H₂O (excess) and CO of path-II, react in a concerted manner). For the laboratory synthesis of glycine, the possibility suggested is via path-I and the reaction being carried out as controlled temperature one-pot synthesis. This study can also be extended to other α-amino acids and possibly enantiomeric excess can be expected. We think this work will not only be able to enrich our future understanding about the formation of amino acids in interstellar medium but also be able to suggest alternative paths for laboratory synthesis of amino acids using either Strecker's or Miller's ingredients. Graphical abstract Using computational calculations, two different reaction paths which go through a hemiaminal (α-hydroxyamine) intermediate have been proposed. It has been proposed that the reaction [Formula: see text] is a thermodynamically favorable reaction path in the laboratory conditions, if carried out as a controlled temperature one-pot synthesis. On the hand, it has been argued that the reaction[Formula: see text] is a feasible reaction path in the interstellar conditions, if it proceeds not via the hemiaminal route, rather in a concerted reaction path.

A pillar[5]arene with an amino-terminated arm stabilizes the formation of aliphatic hemiaminals and imines

A self-included mono-amino substituted pillar[5]arene efficiently stabilizes the hemiaminal and imine formation from the reaction of aliphatic amines and aldehydes.

High temperature expulsion of thermolabile groups for pore-space expansion in metal–organic frameworks

Direct radiative heating at 200 °C quantitatively converts sulfoxide-tags to desirable vinyl groups on a porous zinc(ii) metal–organic framework analogue of IRMOF-9.

A Ni-loaded, metal–organic framework–graphene composite as a precursor for in situ electrochemical deposition of a highly active and durable water oxidation nanocatalyst

UiO-66-NH₂ was constructed on G sheets, metallated with Ni(ii) ions, and used as a precursor to deposit a highly active water oxidation catalyst in an electrochemical surface restructuring process.

Adsorptive performance of MOF nanocomposite for methylene blue and malachite green dyes: Kinetics, isotherm and mechanism

In the present study, Fe₃O₄@AMCA-MIL-53(Al) nanocomposite was utilized for the adsorptive removal of highly toxic MB and MG dyes from aqueous environment. The batch adsorption tests were performed at different contact time, pH, Fe₃O₄@AMCA-MIL-53(Al) dose, initial concentration of dyes and temperature. The maximum adsorption capacity of MB and MG dyes onto of Fe₃O₄@AMCA-MIL-53(Al) using Langmuir equation was 1.02 and 0.90 m mol/g, respectively. The isotherm and kinetic studies revealed that adsorption data were well fitted to Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-first-order kinetics models. Various thermodynamic parameters were also calculated and interpreted. The positive and negative values of ΔH° and ΔG° indicated that the adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous, respectively. The adsorptive binding of MB and MG on Fe₃O₄@AMCA-MIL53(Al) nanocomposite was directed by carboxylate and amide groups through electrostatic interaction, π-π interaction and hydrogen bonding. The desorption of both dyes from Fe₃O₄@AMCA-MIL-53(Al) was also performed using mixed solution of 0.01 M HCl/ethanol. Thus, we conclude that the Fe₃O₄@AMCA-MIL-53(Al) was an outstanding material for the removal of dyes from aqueous environment.