Reversible Switching between Highly Porous and Nonporous Phases of an Interpenetrated Diamondoid Coordination Network That Exhibits Gate-Opening at Methane Storage Pressures.

Herein, we report that a new flexible coordination network, NiL2 (L=4-(4-pyridyl)-biphenyl-4-carboxylic acid), with diamondoid topology switches between non-porous (closed) and several porous (open) phases at specific CO2 and CH4 pressures. These phases are manifested by multi-step low-pressure isotherms for CO2 or a single-step high-pressure isotherm for CH4 . The potential methane working capacity of NiL2 approaches that of compressed natural gas but at much lower pressures. The guest-induced phase transitions of NiL2 were studied by single-crystal XRD, in situ variable pressure powder XRD, synchrotron powder XRD, pressure-gradient differential scanning calorimetry (P-DSC), and molecular modeling. The detailed structural information provides insight into the extreme flexibility of NiL2 . Specifically, the extended linker ligand, L, undergoes ligand contortion and interactions between interpenetrated networks or sorbate-sorbent interactions enable the observed switching.

Tuning Pore Size in Square-Lattice Coordination Networks for Size-Selective Sieving of CO2.

Porous materials capable of selectively capturing CO2 from flue-gases or natural gas are of interest in terms of rising atmospheric CO2 levels and methane purification. Size-exclusive sieving of CO2 over CH4 and N2 has rarely been achieved. Herein we show that a crystal engineering approach to tuning of pore-size in a coordination network, [Cu(quinoline-5-carboxyate)2 ]n (Qc-5-Cu) ena+bles ultra-high selectivity for CO2 over N2 (SCN ≈40 000) and CH4 (SCM ≈3300). Qc-5-Cu-sql-ß, a narrow pore polymorph of the square lattice (sql) coordination network Qc-5-Cu-sql-α, adsorbs CO2 while excluding both CH4 and N2 . Experimental measurements and molecular modeling validate and explain the performance. Qc-5-Cu-sql-ß is stable to moisture and its separation performance is unaffected by humidity.

Direct Air Capture of CO2 by Physisorbent Materials.

Sequestration of CO2, either from gas mixtures or directly from air (direct air capture, DAC), could mitigate carbon emissions. Here five materials are investigated for their ability to adsorb CO2 directly from air and other gas mixtures. The sorbents studied are benchmark materials that encompass four types of porous material, one chemisorbent, TEPA-SBA-15 (amine-modified mesoporous silica) and four physisorbents: Zeolite 13X (inorganic); HKUST-1 and Mg-MOF-74/Mg-dobdc (metal-organic frameworks, MOFs); SIFSIX-3-Ni, (hybrid ultramicroporous material). Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments afforded information about the contents of each sorbent under equilibrium conditions and their ease of recycling. Accelerated stability tests addressed projected shelf-life of the five sorbents. The four physisorbents were found to be capable of carbon capture from CO2-rich gas mixtures, but competition and reaction with atmospheric moisture significantly reduced their DAC performance.

Screening metal-organic frameworks for selective noble gas adsorption in air: effect of pore size and framework topology.

The adsorption of noble gases and nitrogen by sixteen metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) was investigated using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation. The MOFs were chosen to represent a variety of net topologies, pore dimensions, and metal centers. Three commercially available MOFs (HKUST-1, AlMIL-53, and ZIF-8) and PCN-14 were also included for comparison. Experimental adsorption isotherms, obtained from volumetric and gravimetric methods, were used to compare krypton, argon, and nitrogen uptake with the simulation results. Simulated trends in gas adsorption and predicted selectivities among the commercially available MOFs are in good agreement with experiment. In the low pressure regime, the expected trend of increasing adsorption with increasing noble gas polarizabilty is seen. For each noble gas, low pressure adsorption correlates with several MOF properties, including free volume, topology, and metal center. Additionally, a strong correlation exists between the Henry's constant and the isosteric heat of adsorption for all gases and MOFs considered. Finally, we note that the simulated and experimental gas selectivities demonstrated by this small set of MOFs show improved performance compared to similar values reported for zeolites.

Assessing the purity of metal-organic frameworks using photoluminescence: MOF-5, ZnO quantum dots, and framework decomposition.

Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was used to characterize nanoscale ZnO impurities, amine-donor charge-transfer exciplexes, and framework decomposition in samples of MOF-5 prepared by various methods. The combined results cast doubt on previous reports describing MOF-5 as a semiconductor and demonstrate that PL as a tool for characterizing MOF purity possesses advantages such as simplicity, speed, and sensitivity over currently employed powder XRD MOF characterization methods.

Study of polymeric interactions of copolymers: 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (DHPMA) with copper hydroxylated nanoballs.

2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (DHPMA) were used to synthesize novel nanocomposites containing 0.5% by weight of copper hydroxylated nanoballs. Glass transition temperatures of the copolymers and their respective nanocomposites were determined by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was employed to measure the degradation temperatures of the samples and to determine if the degradation is a single step process or multiple step process. The dielectric permittivity (epsilon') and loss factor (epsilon") were measured via Dielectric Analysis (DEA) in the frequency range 0.1 Hz to 100 kHz and between the temperature -150 to 190 degrees C. gamma, beta, and alphabeta conductivity relaxations were revealed using the electric modulus formalism. The activation energies for the relaxations were calculated. Argand plots of M" versus M' were used to study the viscoelastic effects of both copolymer and the composites. Herein we show that it is possible to tune solubility and relaxation properties which are important to the design of new biomaterials.

Metal-Organic Material Polymer Coatings for Enhanced Gas Sorption Performance and Hydrolytic Stability under Humid Conditions.

Physisorbent metal-organic materials (MOMs) have shown benchmark performance for highly selective CO2 capture from bulk and trace gas mixtures. However, gas stream moisture can be detrimental to both adsorbent performance and hydrolytic stability. One of the most effective methods to solve this issue is to transform the adsorbent surface from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. Herein, we present a facile approach for coating MOMs with organic polymers to afford improved hydrophobicity and hydrolytic stability under humid conditions. The impact of gas stream moisture on CO2 capture for the composite materials was found to be negligible under both bulk and trace CO2 capture conditions with significant improvements in regeneration times and energy requirements.

Highly selective CO2 removal for one-step liquefied natural gas processing by physisorbents.

Industrial specifications require CO2 concentrations in natural gas below 50 ppm during liquefaction because of corrosion and CO2 freezing. Herein, we report a physisorbent (TIFSIX-3-Ni) that exhibits new benchmark CO2/CH4 selectivity and fast kinetics, thereby enabling one-step LNG processing to CO2 levels of 25 ppm.

Hybrid ultramicroporous materials (HUMs) with enhanced stability and trace carbon capture performance.

Fine-tuning of HUMs through pillar substitution can significantly enhance trace CO2 sorption performance and stability. The resulting materials, exemplified by the new material TIFSIX-3-Ni, [Ni(pyrazine)2(TiF6)]n, are shown through temperature programmed desorption experiments to remove trace quantities of CO2 from moist gas mixtures.

Controlling the Uptake and Regulating the Release of Nitric Oxide in Microporous Solids.

Representative compounds from three classes of microporous solids, namely, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), hybrid ultra-microporous materials (HUMs), and porous-organic polymers (POPs), were investigated for their nitric oxide gas uptake and release behavior. Low-pressure sorption studies indicated strong chemisorption of NO on the free amine groups decorating the MOF UiO-66-NH2 when compared to its non-amine-functionalized parent. The HUMs demonstrated reversible physisorption within the low-pressure regime, but interestingly in one case there was evidence for chemisorption following pressurization with NO at 10 bar. Significant release of chemisorbed NO from the UiO-66-NH2 and one of the HUMs was triggered by addition of acid to the medium, a pH change from 7.4 to 5.4 being sufficient to trigger NO release. An imidazole-based POP exhibited chemisorption of NO at high pressure wherein the ring basicity facilitated both NO uptake and spontaneous release upon contact with the aqueous release medium.

The effect of centred versus offset interpenetration on C2H2 sorption in hybrid ultramicroporous materials.

Fine-tuning of hybrid ultramicroporous materials (HUMs) can significantly impact their gas sorption performance. This study reveals that offset interpenetration can be antagonistic with respect to C2H2 separation from C2H2/C2H4 gas mixtures.

Flue-gas and direct-air capture of CO2 by porous metal-organic materials.

Sequestration of CO2, either from gas mixtures or directly from air (direct air capture), is a technological goal important to large-scale industrial processes such as gas purification and the mitigation of carbon emissions. Previously, we investigated five porous materials, three porous metal-organic materials (MOMs), a benchmark inorganic material, ZEOLITE 13X: and a chemisorbent, TEPA-SBA-15: , for their ability to adsorb CO2 directly from air and from simulated flue-gas. In this contribution, a further 10 physisorbent materials that exhibit strong interactions with CO2 have been evaluated by temperature-programmed desorption for their potential utility in carbon capture applications: four hybrid ultramicroporous materials, SIFSIX-3-CU: , DICRO-3-NI-I: , SIFSIX-2-CU-I: and MOOFOUR-1-NI: ; five microporous MOMs, DMOF-1: , ZIF-8: , MIL-101: , UIO-66: and UIO-66-NH2: ; an ultramicroporous MOM, NI-4-PYC: The performance of these MOMs was found to be negatively impacted by moisture. Overall, we demonstrate that the incorporation of strong electrostatics from inorganic moieties combined with ultramicropores offers improved CO2 capture performance from even moist gas mixtures but not enough to compete with chemisorbents.This article is part of the themed issue 'Coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks: materials by design'.

A rare cationic building block that generates a new type of polyhedral network with "cross-linked" pto topology.

A rare 8-connected cationic building block, [Cu2L8(µ-MF6)](2+) (L = pyridyl ligand, M = Si, Ti, Ge, Zr or Sn), enables the formation of a small cubicuboctahedral supramolecular building block, SBB, when complexed by 2,4,6-tris(4-pyridyl)pyridine. The coordination network resulting from fusing the square faces of the SBBs can be described as a pto topology in which half of the square faces are cross-linked by MF6(2-) moieties, and represents the first example of a new 3,5-c topology.

Novel mode of 2-fold interpenetration observed in a primitive cubic network of formula [Ni(1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)acetylene)2(Cr2O7)]n.

A primitive cubic (pcu) network of formula [Ni(1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)acetylene)2(Cr2O7)]n, , has been synthesised and found to exhibit a novel type of inclined 2-fold interpenetration and an isosteric heat of adsorption (Q(st)) of 30.5 kJ mol(-1) towards CO2 at zero loading. Q(st) is relatively high in the broad context but less than that observed in related hybrid ultramicroporous materials, a feature that can be understood after studying pore structure and molecular simulations of CO2 adsorption.

Sextuplet phenyl embrace in a metal-organic Kagomé lattice.

A novel Kagomé lattice that demonstrates the modular nature of metal-organic networks has been prepared and is to our knowledge the first example of a metal-organic coordination polymer that incorporates the sextuplet phenyl embrace as a supramolecular synthon.

Thermal capsulorraphy of bilateral glenohumeral joints in a pediatric patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a heterogeneous collection of inherited connective tissue disorders characterized by hypermobility of the joints and hyperextensibility and fragility of the skin. For many patients, the hypermobile joints become problematic. To date, the mainstay of surgical treatment for EDS-related joint laxity has been open surgical capsulorraphy, which, although usually effective, confers significant morbidity to the patient. We present the case of a 9-year-old girl diagnosed with a variant of EDS and severely disabled from multidirectional instability of her shoulders and recurrent dislocations of her hips. After 1 year of nonoperative treatment (physical therapy, bracing, and activity restriction) failed, we performed a sequential arthroscopic thermal capsulorraphy of both shoulders. At a 2-year follow-up, the patient has no instability in the left shoulder and only occasional subluxations of the contralateral shoulder. We believe that thermal capsulorraphy is a viable addition to the shoulder surgeon's armamentarium in treating multidirectional instability in children with EDS.

Hematogenous septic arthritis of the adult hip.

A retrospective review of 10 patients admitted to 4 regional hospitals between 1987 and 1997 in whom acute septic hip arthritis was diagnosed was performed to compare presentation, laboratory and radiographic findings, treatment, and outcome. Patients presented with fever, hip or groin pain, and an inability to bear weight. Most patients manifested a leukocytosis, and all patients had an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Hematogenous septic hip arthritis is rare. The consequences of a missed diagnosis are serious and include death. Clinical examination combined with appropriate laboratory and radiographic studies leads to prompt diagnosis and treatment.

State-granted practice authority: do nurse practitioners vote with their feet?

Nurse practitioners have become an increasingly important part of the US medical workforce as they have gained greater practice authority through state-level regulatory changes. This study investigates one labor market impact of this large change in nurse practitioner regulation. Using data from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses and a dataset of state-level nurse practitioner prescribing authority, a multivariate estimation is performed analysing the impact of greater practice authority on the probability of a nurse practitioner moving from a state. The empirical results indicate that nurse practitioners in states that grant expanded practice are less likely to move from the state than nurse practitioners in states that have not granted expanded practice authority. The estimated effect is robust and is statistically and economically meaningful. This finding is in concert with and strengthens the wider literature which finds states that grant expanded practice authority to nurse practitioners tend to have larger nurse practitioner populations.

Managing bone deficiency and nonunions of the proximal femur.

Revision surgery of the proximal femur with bone loss secondary to failed cephalomedullary nails is problematic and becoming more prevalent as their use grows. This article presents a technique of deformity correction, bone graft techniques that reconstitute residual defects, and definitive fixation using load-sharing devices that provide immediate stability for bone healing and early rehabilitation. Preoperative planning and the potential advantages and disadvantages of newer fixed-angled plates versus established implants are discussed. With proper planning, surgical execution with proved techniques, augmented by the addition of newer graft harvesting techniques, anatomic restoration, and bone reconstitution with healing, has invariably been the result.

Design and synthesis of metal-organic frameworks using metal-organic polyhedra as supermolecular building blocks.

This critical review highlights supermolecular building blocks (SBBs) in the context of their impact upon the design, synthesis, and structure of metal-organic materials (MOMs). MOMs, also known as coordination polymers, hybrid inorganic-organic materials, and metal-organic frameworks, represent an emerging class of materials that have attracted the imagination of solid-state chemists because MOMs combine unprecedented levels of porosity with a range of other functional properties that occur through the metal moiety and/or the organic ligand. First generation MOMs exploited the geometry of metal ions or secondary building units (SBUs), small metal clusters that mimic polygons, for the generation of MOMs. In this critical review we examine the recent (<5 years) adoption of much larger scale metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) as SBBs for the construction of MOMs by highlighting how the large size and high symmetry of such SBBs can afford improved control over the topology of the resulting MOM and a new level of scale to the resulting framework (204 references).