A novel core-shell composite of PCN-222@MIPIL for ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing 4-nonylphenol

A novel core-shell composite of PCN-222 and molecularly imprinted poly (ionic liquid) (PCN-222@MIPIL) with high conductivity and selectivity was prepared for electrochemical sensing 4-nonylphenol (4-NP). The electrical conductivities of some MOFs including PCN-222, ZIF-8, NH2-UIO-66, ZIF-67, and HKUST-1 were explored. The results indicated that PCN-222 had the highest conductivity and was then used as a novel imprinted support. PCN-222@MIPIL with core-shell and porous structure was synthesized using PCN-222 as support and 4-NP as template. The average pore volume of PCN-222@MIPIL was 0.085 m3 g-1. In addition, the average pore width of PCN-222@MIPIL was from 1.1 to 2.7 nm. The electrochemical response for PCN-222@MIPIL sensor for 4-NP was 2.54, 2.14, and 4.24 times that of non-molecularly imprinted poly (ionic liquid) (PCN-222@NIPIL), PCN-222, and MIPIL sensors, respectively, which result from superior conductivity and imprinted recognition sites of PCN-222@MIPIL. The current response of PCN-222@MIPIL sensor to 4-NP concentration from 1 × 10-4 to 10 μM presented an excellent linear relationship. The detection limit of 4-NP was 0.03 nM. The synergistic effect between the PCN-222 supporter with high conductivity, specific surface area and shell layer of surface MIPIL results in the outstanding performance of PCN-222@MIPIL. PCN-222@MIPIL sensor was adopted for detecting 4-NP in real samples and presented to be a reliable approach for determining 4-NP.

3D vs. turbostratic: controlling metal-organic framework dimensionality via N-heterocyclic carbene chemistry

Using azolium-based ligands for the construction of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is a viable strategy to immobilize catalytically active N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) or NHC-derived species inside MOF pores. Thus, in the present work, a novel copper MOF referred to as Cu-Sp5-BF4, is constructed using an imidazolinium ligand, H2Sp5-BF4, 1,3-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole-3-ium tetrafluoroborate. The resulting framework, which offers large pore apertures, enables the post-synthetic modification of the C2 carbon on the ligand backbone with methoxide units. A combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) and electron microscopy (EM), are used to show that the post-synthetic methoxide modification alters the dimensionality of the material, forming a turbostratic phase, an event that further improves the accessibility of the NHC sites promoting a second modification step that is carried out via grafting iridium to the NHC. A combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) methods are used to shed light on the iridium speciation, and the catalytic activity of the Ir-NHC containing MOF is demonstrated using a model reaction, stilbene hydrogenation.

A Two Step Postsynthetic Modification Strategy: Appending Short Chain Polyamines to Zn-NH2-BDC MOF for Enhanced CO2 Adsorption

Functionalizing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with amines is a commonly used strategy to enhance their performance in CO₂ capture applications. As such, in this work, a two-step strategy to covalently functionalize NH₂-containing MOFs with short chain polyamines was developed. In the first step, the parent MOF, Zn₄O(NH₂-BDC)₃, was exposed to bromoacetyl bromide (BrAcBr), which readily reacts with pendant -NH₂ groups on the 2-amino-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate (NH₂-BDC^2-) ligand. ¹H NMR of the digested MOF sample revealed that as much as 90% of the MOF ligands could be functionalized in the first step. Next, the MOF samples 60% of the ligands functionalized with acetyl bromide, Zn₄O(NH₂-BDC)_1.2(BrAcNH-BDC)_1.8, was exposed to several short chain amines including ethylenediamine (ED), diethylenetriamine (DETA), and tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TAEA). Subsequent digested ¹H NMR analysis indicated that a total of 30%, 28%, and 19% of the MOF ligands were successfully grafted to ED, DETA, and TAEA, respectively. Next, the CO₂ adsorption properties of the amine grafted MOFs were studied. The best performing material, TAEA-appended-Zn₄O(NH₂-BDC)_1.2(BrAcNH-BDC)_1.8, exhibits a zero-coverage isosteric heat of CO₂ adsorption of -62.5 kJ/mol, a value that is considerably higher than the one observed for the parent framework, -21 kJ/mol. Although the boosted CO₂ affinity only leads to a slight increase in the CO₂ adsorption capacity in the low-pressure regime (0.15 bar), which is of interest in postcombustion carbon dioxide capture, the CO₂/N₂ (15/85) selectivity at 313 K is 143, a value that is ∼35 times higher than the one observed for Zn₄O(NH₂-BDC)₃, 4.1. Such enhancements are attributed to accessible primary amines, which were grafted to the MOF ligand. This hypothesis was further supported via in situ DRIFTS measurements of TAEA-Ac-Zn₄O(NH₂-BDC)_1.2(BrAcNH-BDC)_1.8 after exposure to CO₂, which revealed the chemisorption of CO₂ via the formation of hydrogen bonded carbamates/carbamic acid and CO₂^δ- species; the latter are adducts formed between CO₂ and [amineH]⁺Br^- salts that are produced during the amine grafting step.

Construction of a series of metal-directed MOFs to explore their physical and chemical properties

Here, we report a series of metal-directed coordination polymers and explore their various properties. The polymeric networks show interesting properties such as selective CO₂ gas adsorption, Fenton-type photocatalytic dye degradation and heterogeneous catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

Paramagnetic Ionic Liquid/Metal Organic Framework Composites for CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 Separations

Global warming is arguably the biggest scientific challenge of the twenty-first century and its environmental consequences are already noticeable. To mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly of CO₂, there is an urgent need to design materials with improved adsorbent properties. Five different magnetic ionic liquids were impregnated into the metal–organic framework ZIF-8. The composites were produced by a direct-contact method, and their performance as sorbents for gas separation applications was studied. The impact of the ionic liquid anion on the sorption capacity and ideal CO₂/CH₄ and CO₂/N₂ selectivities were studied, focusing on understanding the influence of metal atom and ligand on the adsorbent properties. Reproducible methodology, along with rigorous characterization, were established to assess the impact of the ionic liquid on the performance of the composite materials. Results show that the ionic liquid was well-impregnated, and the ZIF-8 structure was maintained after ionic liquid impregnation. The produced composites were of microporous nature and were thermally stable. CO₂, CH₄, and N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms were obtained at 303 K and between 0 and 16 bar. The adsorption-desorption data of the composites were compared with that obtained for original ZIF-8. The general trend in composites is that the increased gas uptake per available pore volume compensates the pore volume loss. Adsorption data per unit mass showed that composites have reversible sorption, but inferior gas uptake at all pressure ranges. This is due to the observed total pore volume loss by the ionic liquid pore occupation/blockage. In most cases, composites showed superior selectivity performance at all pressure range. In particular, the composite [C₄MIM]₂[MnCl₄]@ZIF-8 shows a different low-pressure selectivity trend from the original MOF, with a 33% increase in the CO₂/N₂ selectivity at 1 bar and 19% increase in the CO₂/CH₄ selectivity at 10 bar. This material shows potential for use in a post-combustion CO₂ capture application that can contribute to greenhouse gas mitigation.

Water Based Synthesis of ZIF-8 Assisted by Hydrogen Bond Acceptors and Enhancement of CO2 Uptake by Solvent Assisted Ligand Exchange

The aim of this work was to synthesize zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) by an alternative method and then modify the surface properties for enhancing the CO2 adsorption performance. The ZIF-8 was synthesized by a water based synthesis method using 2-methyl imidazole (2-MeIM) as a hydrogen bond donor and quaternary ammonium salts (QAS) as a hydrogen bond acceptor. The optimal synthesis conditions were investigated by varying (i) the order of precursor mixing during the synthesis process (ii) different QAS (tetrabutyl ammonium bromide (TBAB), tetraethyl ammonium bromide (TEAB) and trimethyl phenyl ammonium bromide (TMPAB)) and (iii) the ratio between 2-MeIM and QAS. The results show that the optimal synthesis condition was using TMPAB as the hydrogen bond acceptor with the ratio between 2-MeIM and TMPAB of 8:2 and in the order of first mixing both hydrogen bond donor and acceptor before adding Zn(NO3)2⋅6H2O solution. TMPAB can provide uniform size distribution with the smallest particle sizes of ZIF-8. This can be explained by the higher hydrogen bond strength between hydrogen bond donor (2-MeIM) and hydrogen bond acceptor (TMPAB) when compared with that of the rest of two QAS. The synthesized ZIF-8 was modified by solvent-assisted ligand exchange methods. The organic linker of ZIF-8 (2-MeIM) was exchanged by 2-aminobenzimidazole (2-NH2bZIM) and 2-phenylimidazole (2-PhIM). The CO2 uptake of modified ZIF-8 was enhanced upon exchanging with 2-NH2bZIM. The increase in CO2 uptake was due to an additional interaction between CO2 and exchanged imidazole linker and an increase in surface properties (higher surface area, pore size and pore volume).

Metal-Organic Frameworks with Hexakis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene: Extensions to Reticular Chemistry and Introducing Foldable Nets

Nine metal-organic frameworks have been prepared with the hexagon-shaped linker 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene (H6cpb) by solvothermal reactions in dimethylformamide (dmf) or dimethylacetamide (dmac) with acetic acid or formic acid as modulators: [Bi2(cpb)(acetato)2(dmf)2]·2dmf CTH-6 forms a rtl-net; 2(H2NMe2)[Cu2(cpb)] CTH-7 forms a kgd-net; [Fe4(cpb)(acetato)2(dmf)4] CTH-8 and [Co4(cpb)(acetato)2(dmf)4] CTH-9 are isostructural and form yav-nets; 2(HNEt3)[Fe2(cpb)] CTH-10 and the two polymorphs of 2(H2NMe2)[Zn2(cpb)]·1.5dmac, Zn-MOF-888 and CTH-11, show kgd-nets; [Cu2(cpb)(acetato)2(dmf)2]·2dmf, CTH-12, forms a mixed coordination and hydrogen-bonded sql-net; and 2(H2NMe2)[Zn2(cpb)] CTH-13, a similarly mixed yav-net. Surface area values (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, BET) range from 34 m2 g-1 for CTH-12 to 303 m2 g-1 for CTH-9 for samples activated at 120 °C in dynamic vacuum. All compounds show normal (10-fold higher) molar CO2 versus N2 uptake at 298 K, except the 19-fold CO2 uptake for CTH-12 containing Cu(II) dinuclear paddle-wheels. We also show how perfect hexagons and triangles can combine to a new 3D topology laf, a model of which gave us the idea of foldable network topologies, as the laf-net can fold into a 2D form while retaining the local geometry around each vertex. Other foldable nets identified are cds, cds-a, ths, sqc163, clh, jem, and tfc covering the basic polygons and their combinations. The impact of this concept on "breathing" MOFs is discussed. I2 sorption, both from gas phase and from MeOH solution, into CTH-7 were studied by time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) on dried crystals. I2 was shown to have penetrated the crystals, as layers were consecutively peeled off by the ion beam. We suggest ToF-SIMS to be a method for studying sorption depth profiles of MOFs.

Coordinatively unsaturated metal sites (open metal sites) in metal–organic frameworks: design and applications

The defined synthesis of OMS in MOFs is the basis for targeted functionalization through grafting, the coordination of weakly binding species and increased (supramolecular) interactions with guest molecules.

Gas Adsorption at Metal Sites for Enhancing Gas Sensing Performance of ZnO@ZIF-71 Nanorod Arrays

The detection of trace amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been covered by tons of researches, which are dedicated to improve the detection limit and insensitivity to humidity. In this work, we have synthesized ZnO@ZIF-71 nanorod arrays (NRAs) equipped with the adsorption effect at metal site that promoted the detection limit of ethanol and acetone, to which also have great selectivity. The gas sensor not only exhibits shorter response/recovery time (53/55% for ethanol, 48/31% for acetone), but also excellent insensitivity to humidity and improved detection limit (10× improved at 21 ppb for ethanol, 4× at 3 ppb for acetone) at low working temperature (150 °C). By the analysis of in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy and calculation of density functional theory (DFT), the mechanism of enhanced gas sensing performance from ZnO@ZIF-71 NRAs is proved. It shows ethanol and acetone gas molecules can be adsorbed at the metal sites of ZIF-71. This work provides a new idea to improve the detection limit and humidity-insensitivity of gas sensor toward specific gas molecules.

An In-Situ Neutron Diffraction and DFT Study of Hydrogen Adsorption in a Sodalite-Type Metal-Organic Framework, Cu-BTTri

Herein we present a detailed study of the hydrogen adsorption properties of Cu-BTTri, a robust crystalline metal-organic framework containing open metal-coordination sites. Diffraction techniques, carried out on the activated framework, reveal a structure that is different from what was previously reported. Further, combining standard hydrogen adsorption measurements with in-situ neutron diffraction techniques provides molecular level insight into the hydrogen adsorption process. The diffraction experiments unveil the location of four D2 adsorption sites in Cu-BTTri and shed light on the structural features that promote hydrogen adsorption in this material. Density functional theory (DFT), used to predict the location and strength of binding sites, corroborate the experimental findings. By decomposing binding energies in different sites in various energetic contributions, we show that van der Waals interactions play a crucial role, suggesting a possible route to enhancing the binding energy around open metal coordination sites.

Paddlewheel SBU based Zn MOFs: Syntheses, Structural Diversity, and CO₂ Adsorption Properties

Four Zn metal⁻organic frameworks (MOFs), {[Zn₂(2,6-ndc)₂(2-Pn)]·DMF}n (1), {[Zn₂(cca)₂(2-Pn)]·DMF}n (2), {[Zn₂(thdc)₂(2-Pn)]·3DMF}n (3), and {[Zn₂(1,4-ndc)₂(2-Pn)]·1.5DMF}n (4), were synthesized from zinc nitrate and N,N'-bis(pyridin-2-yl)benzene-1,4-diamine (2-Pn) with naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (2,6-H₂ndc), 4-carboxycinnamic acid (H₂cca), 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (H₂thdc), and naphthalene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid (1,4-H₂ndc), respectively. MOFs 1⁻4 were all constructed from similar dinuclear paddlewheel {Zn₂(COO)₄} clusters and resulted in the formation of three kinds of uninodal 6-connected non-interpenetrated frameworks. MOFs 1 and 2 suit a topologic 4⁸·6⁷-net with 17.6% and 16.8% extra-framework voids, respectively, 3 adopts a pillared-layer open framework of 4⁸·6⁶·8-topology with sufficient free voids of 39.9%, and 4 features a pcu-type pillared-layer framework of 412·6³-topology with sufficient free voids of 30.9%. CO₂ sorption studies exhibited typical reversible type I isotherms with CO₂ uptakes of 55.1, 84.6, and 64.3 cm³ g-1 at 195 K and P/P₀ =1 for the activated materials 1', 2', and 4', respectively. The coverage-dependent isosteric heat of CO₂ adsorption (Qst) gave commonly decreased Qst traces with increasing CO₂ uptake for all the three materials and showed an adsorption enthalpy of 32.5 kJ mol-1 for 1', 38.3 kJ mol-1 for 2', and 23.5 kJ mol-1 for 4' at zero coverage.

A lithium-modified zirconium-based metal organic framework (UiO-66) for efficient CO2 adsorption

The adsorption mechanism of carbon dioxide (CO₂) on Li/UiO-66 was studied by an in situ DRIFTS study.