Alloying One-Dimensional Coordination Polymers To Create Ductile Materials.

The preparation of coordination polymer (CP) alloys is demonstrated by the use of two meltable, one-dimensional crystal structures via melt-kneading. The polymer structures of the alloys are studied by synchrotron X-ray absorption and scattering, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, DSC, and viscoelastic measurements. Crystalline and amorphous domains and thermal properties (melting and glass transition) in the alloys depend on the ratio of the two constituent CPs. The glassy alloy composed of an equivalent amount of two CPs shows high plastic deformation properties, and the fracture point reaches 128% without a filler or compatibilizing agent, hence behaving as ductile materials.

Eutectic CsHSO4-Coordination Polymer Glasses with Superprotonic Conductivity.

Superprotonic phase transition in CsHSO4 allows fast protonic conduction, but only at temperatures above the transition temperature of 141 °C (Tc). Here, we preserve the superprotonic conductivity of CsHSO4 by forming a binary CsHSO4-coordination polymer glass system, showing eutectic melting. Their anhydrous proton conductivities below Tc are at least 3 orders of magnitude higher than CsHSO4 without compromising conductivity at higher temperatures or the need for humidification, reaching 6.3 mS cm-1 at 180 °C. The glass also introduces processability to the conductor, as its viscosity below 103 Pa·s can be achieved at 65 °C. Solid-state NMR and X-ray pair distribution functions reveal the oxyanion exchanges and the origin of the preserved conductivity. Finally, we demonstrate the preparation of a micrometer-scale thin-film proton conductor showing low resistivity with high transparency (transmittance >85% between 380-800 nm).

Hydroxylation of UiO-66 Metal-Organic Frameworks for High Arsenic(III) Removal Efficiency.

Zirconium clusters of UiO-66 have been hydroxylated with NaOH to generate strong binding sites for As(III) species in wastewater treatment. Hydroxylated UiO-66 provides high adsorption capacity over a wide range of pH from 1 to 10 with a maximum uptake of 204 mg g-1, which is significantly enhanced compared to those of pristine UiO-66, acid-modulated UiO-66, and other adsorbents for use in a wide pH range of treatment processes. The local structure of hydroxylated sites and As(III) adsorption mechanism are determined by extended X-ray absorption fine structure combined with density functional theory calculations.

Metal-organic framework MIL-100(Fe) as a promising sensor for COVID-19 biomarkers detection.

The development of fast and non-invasive techniques to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus at the early stage of the infection would be highly desirable to control the COVID-19 outbreak. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials with uniform porous structures and tunable pore surfaces, which would be essential for the selective sensing of the specific COVID-19 biomarkers. However, the use of MOFs materials to detect COVID-19 biomarkers has not been demonstrated so far. In this work, for the first time, we employed the density functional theory calculations to investigate the specific interactions of MOFs and the targeted biomarkers, in which the interactions were confirmed by experiment. The five dominant COVID-19 biomarkers and common exhaled gases are comparatively studied by exposing them to MOFs, namely MIL-100(Al) and MIL-100(Fe). The adsorption mechanism, binding site, adsorption energy, recovery time, charge transfer, sensing response, and electronic structures are systematically investigated. We found that MIL-100(Fe) has a higher sensing performance than MIL-100(Al) in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. MIL-100(Fe) shows sensitive to COVID-19 biomarkers, namely 2-methylpent-2-enal and 2,4-octadiene with high sensing responses as 7.44 x 105 and 9 x 107 which are exceptionally higher than those of the common gases which are less than 6. The calculated recovery times of 0.19 and 1.84 x 10-4 s are short enough to be a resuable sensor. An experimental study also showed that the MIL-100(Fe) provides a sensitivity toward 2-methylpent-2-enal. In conclusion, we suggest that MIL-100(Fe) could be used as a potential sensor for the exhaled breath analysis. We hope that our research can aid in the development of a biosensor for quick and easy COVID-19 biomarker detection in order to control the current pandemic.

Intrinsic Hole Mobility in Luminescent Metal-Organic Frameworks and Its Application in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Most metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) lack charge mobility, which is crucial for realizing their use in optoelectronic applications. This work proposes the design of a MOF using triarylamine-based ligands (Zr-NBP) as the lone pair electron spacer to enhance the hole mobility in the MOF while maintaining its luminescent properties. Zr-NBP has strong fluorescence with a good hole mobility of 1.05×10-6  cm2 V-1 s-1 , which is comparable to organic materials used in optoelectronic devices. We also employed a Zr-NBP nanofilm in the pure phase as both a non-doped emissive layer and a hole-transporting layer within organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The obtained OLED device produced a bright green light with a low turn-on voltage of 3.9 V. This work presents an advance in developing the electronic properties of MOFs by modifying the chemical properties of its building blocks, and will likely inspire further design of MOF materials as active layers in optoelectronic devices.

Incorporation of Al3+ Sites on Brønsted Acid Metal-Organic Frameworks for Glucose-to-Hydroxylmethylfurfural Transformation.

5-hydroxylmethylfurfural (HMF) is a bio-based chemical that can be prepared from natural abundant glucose by using combined Brønsted-Lewis acid catalysts. In this work, Al3+ catalytic site has been grafted on Brønsted metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to enhance Brønsted-Lewis acidity of MOF catalysts for a one-pot glucose-to-HMF transformation. The uniform porous structure of zirconium-based MOFs allows the optimization of both acid strength and density of acid sites in MOF-based catalysts by incorporating the desired amount of Al3+ catalytic sites at the organic linker. Al3+ sites generated via a post-synthetic modification act as Lewis acid sites located adjacent to the Brønsted sulfonated sites of MOF structure. The local structure of the Al3+ sites incorporated in MOFs has been elucidated by X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The cooperative effect from Brønsted and Lewis acids located in close proximity and the high acid density is demonstrated as an important factor to achieve high yield of HMF.

Metalloporphyrin-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks on Flexible Carbon Paper for Electrocatalytic Nitrite Oxidation.

Deposition of redox-active metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as thin films on conductive substrates is of great importance to improve their electrochemical performance and durability. In this work, a series of metalloporphyrinic MOF crystals was successfully deposited as thin films on carbon fiber paper (CFP) substrates, which is an alternative to rigid glass substrates. The specific dimensions of the obtained films could be adjusted easily by simple cutting. Metalloporphyrinic MOFs on CFP with different active metal species have been employed for electrochemical conversion of the carcinogenic nitrite into the less toxic nitrate. The MOFs on CFP exhibit remarkable improvement in terms of the electrocatalytic performance and reusability compared with the electrodes prepared from MOF powder. The contribution from metal species of the porphyrin units and reaction mechanisms was elucidated based on the findings from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and in situ X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measured during the electrochemical reaction. By integrating the redox-active property of metalloporphyrinic MOFs and high conductivity of CFP, MOF thin films on CFP provided a significant improvement of electrocatalytic performance to detoxify the carcinogenic nitrite with good stability.

Tailoring Metalloporphyrin Frameworks for an Efficient Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction: Selectively Stabilizing Key Intermediates with H-Bonding Pockets.

The electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2ER) is a great challenge within the field of energy and environmental research. Competing reactions, including hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and surface oxidation, limit the conversion of CO2ER at low overpotentials. This is because these competing reactions produce intermediates (adsorbed H and OH) with chemical bonds similar to those formed in CO2ER (adsorbed COOH and OCHO). Here, we report the adsorption free energies of CO2ER and competitive intermediates within H-bonding functionalized metalloporphyrin frameworks using first-principles calculations. The functionalized frameworks shift the scaling relation of adsorption free energies to favor the CO2ER intermediates rather than the HER. Inspired by molecular catalysts, we proposed and studied H-bonding interfaces that specifically stabilize the target intermediates of the CO2ER. The selective H-bonding stabilization reduced the limiting potential for CO2ER by up to 0.2-0.3 V. Our results agree with previous experiments that found that cobalt- and iron-based metalloporphyrins exhibited the most promising catalytic activity in CO2-to-CO reduction, with small potential barriers for the adsorbed COOH intermediate. In addition, embedding the functionalized metalloporphyrin moieties in a rigid framework structure acted to enhance the CO2ER selectivity by preventing the porphyrin from stacking and keeping H-bonding interfaces in close proximity to only CO2ER intermediates. Improved selectivity to the desired CO2ER was achieved through three steps: first by systematically screening for metal centers, second by creating an ideal H-bonding environment, and finally by using a rigid macrocycle ring structure.

Halogen substitutions leading to enhanced oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions in metalloporphyrin frameworks.

The oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions (OER and ORR, respectively) are important in the field of renewable and clean energy, particularly for hydrogen production and fuel cells. These applications have so far been limited because of the high price of the catalysts and the energy loss due to overpotentials. Hence, non-precious metal catalysts with high efficiency toward the OER/ORR are desirable. In this work, we employ density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the OER/ORR on metalloporphyrin and halogenated metalloporphyrin frameworks. The free energies of the reaction intermediates, including OH, O and OOH, were measured on 14 metal sites (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Ir, Pt and Au) of the metalloporphyrin frameworks. Adsorption free energy relations were found and used to establish the reaction trend. The group 9 metals, namely Co, Rh and Ir, turn out to be potential candidates for both the OER and ORR because they provide intermediate free energies close to those of an ideal catalyst. The substitution of halogen atoms at the beta-positions of the metalloporphyrins of group 9 metals modifies the adsorption free energies of the intermediates so that they become closer to the ideal values and in turn reduce the OER and ORR overpotentials. After functionalization, Co-Por-F provides the lowest ORR overpotential and reduces the OER overpotential, approaching the value for an expensive Ir catalyst. Analysis of the electronic structure shows that controlling the d-band splitting by chemical manipulation of the single active site catalyst can be the key to enhancing the efficiency of these reactions.

Formation of Foam-like Microstructural Carbon Material by Carbonization of Porous Coordination Polymers through a Ligand-Assisted Foaming Process.

Porous carbon material with a foam-like microstructure has been synthesized by direct carbonization of porous coordination polymer (PCP). In situ generation of foaming agents by chemical reactions of ligands in PCP during carbonization provides a simple way to create lightweight carbon material with a foam-like microstructure. Among several substituents investigated, the nitro group has been shown to be the key to obtain the unique foam-like microstructure, which is due to the fast kinetics of gas evolution during carbonization. Foam-like microstructural carbon materials showed higher pore volume and specific capacitance compared to a microporous carbon.

Synthesis and porous properties of chromium azolate porous coordination polymers.

We developed a new route for synthesis of Cr-based porous coordination polymers (PCPs) with azole ligands and characterized the unique open structures by single-crystal X-ray studies and other spectroscopy techniques. Chromium-based PCPs have been prepared from azolate ligands 3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid (H2dmcpz) and 1,4-di(1H-tetrazole-5yl)benzene (H2BDT) by solvothermal reactions under an Ar atmosphere. [Cr3O(Hdmcpz)6(DMF)3]⊃DMF (1⊃DMF) is a coordination compound that forms a hydrogen-bonded porous network. [Cr3O(HBDT)2(BDT)Cl3)]⊃DMF (2⊃DMF) possesses a new type of trinuclear chromium µ3-O unit cluster and the novel topology of a Cr-based PCP with 700 m(2) g(-1) of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area. [Cr(BDT)(DEF)]⊃DEF (3⊃DEF) is structurally flexible and reactive to O2 molecules because of the unsaturated Cr(2+) centers. This is the first report of a Cr-based PCP/metal-organic framework with noncarboxylate ligands and characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Construction of 2D zinc(II) MOFs with tricarboxylate and N-donor mixed ligands for multiresponsive luminescence sensors and CO2 adsorption.

The solvothermal reactions of ZnCl2·6H2O, benzene-1,3,5-tribenzoic acid (H3btb), and N-heterocyclic ancillary imidazole (Im) or aminopyrimidine (a mp) ligands led to the creation of two-dimensional (2D) zinc(II) based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), (Me2NH2)2[Zn2(btb)2(Im)2]·2DMF·3MeOH (1) and (Me2NH2)2[Zn2(btb)2(amp)]·H2O·2DMF·MeOH (2). The btb3- ligands in 1 and 2 form an anionic 2D layered structure with a (63) honeycomb (hcb) topology by linking to Zn(II) centres through their carboxylate groups. The incorporation of N-heterocyclic auxiliary ligands Im and amp into the hcb nets resulted in the formation of a 2D hydrogen-bonded and covalently pillared bilayer structure featuring two-fold interpenetrating networks. Each of these networks consists of small channels that are occupied by Me2NH2 cations and solvent molecules. Both 1 and 2 emit blue luminescence emissions in the solid state at room temperature and exhibit a great selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of acetone and multiple heavy metal ions including Hg2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Pb2+, Cr3+, and Fe3+ ions. At 1 bar, activated 1 and 2 demonstrate moderate capacities for adsorbing CO2 at room temperature, with a preference for CO2 over N2. Notably, at higher pressures (up to 20 bar), their activated samples 1 and 2 show a temperature-dependent enhancement of CO2 uptake while retaining good stability.

Impact of exposed crystal facets on oxygen reduction reaction activity in zeolitic imidazole frameworks.

ZIF-67 is a representative type of metal-organic framework (MOF) developed for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) owing to its robust structure in alkaline electrolytes and the presence of the redox-active Co2+ species in the structure. In this work, the improvement of the ORR electrolytic performance of ZIF-67 in its pure phase by optimization of its crystal morphology and crystal facets has been presented. ZIF-67 nanocubes exhibit higher ORR activity than their bulk crystals. The enriched (100) facet in the nanocube crystals provides a higher number of exposed Co2+ sites resulting in improved ORR performances. Moreover, DFT study suggests a distinguished mechanism in the (100) facet highlighting the importance of crystal facets in electrochemical performances.

Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Synthesis of 5,7-Dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin via a Pechmann Condensation in the Presence of UiO-66-SO3H Catalysts.

An efficient synthesis of 5,7-dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin from phloroglucinol with ethyl acetoacetate in the UiO-66-SO3H metal-organic framework is reported. The potential of UiO-66-SO3H as a solid catalyst was determined through optimized-condition experiments and quantum molecular calculations. The optimal conditions for the synthesis of 5,7-dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin with UiO-66-SO3H were as follows: phloroglucinol/ethyl acetoacetate molar ratio = 1:1.6, reaction time = 4 h, and temperature = 140 °C, for which the reaction yield reached 66.0%. The reusability of UiO-66-SO3H catalysts for Pechmann condensation was examined. The activation energy of the reaction occurring on a sulfonic group of the UiO-66-SO3H catalyst was 12.6 kcal/mol, which was significantly lower than 22.6 kcal/mol of the same reaction on the UiO-66 catalyst. To comprehend the reaction mechanism, density functional theory with the ONIOM approach was applied for the synthesis of coumarin on the UiO-66-SO3H and UiO-66 clusters. A possible reaction mechanism was proposed involving three steps: a trans-esterification step, an intramolecular hydroxyalkylation step, and a dehydration step. The rate-determining step was suggested to be the first step which acquired an activation energy of 15.7 and 29.5 kcal/mol, respectively. Information from this study can be used as guidelines to develop more efficient catalytic metal-organic frameworks for various organic syntheses.

Insight into the effects of different oxygen heteroatoms on nicotine adsorption from cigarette mainstream smoke.

Cigarette smoke contains many chemicals, including nicotine, which is harmful and can cause health problems such as carcinogenesis disease, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, and reproductive systems. Removal of nicotine from mainstream smoke can be done through adsorption with filters or solid adsorbents. In this study, we explored the use of activated carbons for the removal of nicotine from cigarette mainstream smoke. Activated carbons were prepared from dried hemp (Cannabis sativa) stem at an activation temperature of 350-550 °C using phosphoric acid as an activating agent. The results showed that the activated carbons with variable surface functional groups and porosity exhibited high efficiency for nicotine adsorption, removing 68-88% of nicotine from cigarette mainstream smoke. Through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature-programmed desorption analyses, we identified that oxygen-containing functional groups, particularly carboxylic groups, exhibited a superior ability to adsorb nicotine. The computational analysis with DFT simulations further supported the importance of oxygen-containing surface functional groups in facilitating nicotine adsorption, with the carboxylic group providing the lowest adsorption energy among other functional groups.

Modulation of proton conductivity in coordination polymer mixed glasses.

Reversible solid-to-liquid phase transition in coordination polymer glasses allowed the formation of homogeneous mixed-glasses from two distinct parent compounds. The resulting mixed glasses show composition-dependent glass transition temperatures and unique viscoelastic behaviour. A non-linear mixed glass former effect and controllable anhydrous H+ conductivities are also demonstrated.

Metal-Organic Framework Aerogel for Full pH Range Operation and Trace Adsorption of Arsenic in Water.

The UiO-66-NH2 aerogel has been designed to remove As(III) and As(V) in the full pH range with a long lifetime. The efficiency of the aerogel for trace removal from river water samples at the sub-ppb level has been demonstrated. The feasibility for practical uses has been evaluated by breakthrough experiments operated at a liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) of 38 h-1 using a real water sample with a significant capacity of 284 mg g-1. The UiO-66-NH2 aerogel provides a lifetime of over 600 min, which is one of the highest lifetimes among the reported adsorbents for arsenic decontamination.

Coordination polymer-forming liquid Cu(2-isopropylimidazolate).

The structure of the melt state of one-dimensional (1D) coordination polymer crystal Cu(isopropylimidazolate) (melting temperature T m = 143 °C) was characterized by DSC, variable temperature PXRD, solid-state NMR (SSNMR), viscoelastic measurements, XAS, and DFT-AIMD calculations. These analyses suggested "coordination polymer-forming liquid" formation with preserved coordination bonds above T m. Variable chain configurations and moderate cohesive interaction in adjacent chains are the keys to the rarely observed polymer-forming liquid. The melt structure is reminiscent of the common 1D organic polymer melts such as entanglement or random coil structures.

Structures and reaction mechanisms of glycerol dehydration over H-ZSM-5 zeolite: a density functional theory study.

The initial stage of glycerol conversion over H-ZSM-5 zeolite has been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations on an embedded cluster model consisting of 128 tetrahedrally coordinated atoms. It is found that glycerol dehydration to acrolein and acetol proceeds favourably via a stepwise mechanism. The formation of an alkoxide species upon the first dehydration requires the highest activation energy (42.5 kcal mol(-1)) and can be considered as the rate determining step of the reaction. The intrinsic activation energies for the first dehydration are virtually the same for both acrolein and acetol formation, respectively, suggesting the competitive removal of the primary and secondary OH groups. A high selectivity to acrolein at moderate temperatures can be attributed to the selective activation of the stronger adsorption mode of glycerol through the secondary OH group and the kinetically favoured subsequent consecutive steps. In addition, the less reactive nature of acrolein relative to acetol precludes it from being converted to other products upon conversion to glycerol. In accordance with typical endothermic reactions, the forward rate constant for glycerol dehydration significantly increases with increasing reaction temperature.

Processable UiO-66 Metal-Organic Framework Fluid Gel and Electrical Conductivity of Its Nanofilm with Sub-100 nm Thickness.

Zr-based UiO-66 metal-organic framework (MOF) is one of the most studied MOFs with a wide range of potential applications. While UiO-66 is typically synthesized as a microcrystalline solid, we employ a particle downsizing strategy to synthesize UiO-66 as fluid gel with unique rheological properties, which allows the solution-based processing as sub-100 nm films and enhances the electrical conductivity of its pristine structure. Film thicknesses ranging from 40 to 150 nm could be achieved by controlling the spin-coating parameters. The generality of the method is also demonstrated for other Zr-based MOFs including MOF-801 and MOF-808. The impact of particle size and film thickness at the nanoscale on electrical properties of UiO-66 is shown to realize new features that are distinct from those of the bulk powder phase. An electrical insulator UiO-66 shows a significant increase in the electrical conductivity (10-5 S cm-1 compared to 10-7 S cm-1 in the bulk powder phase) when the 10 nm particles are distributed on the substrate with a thickness less than 100 nm. The findings establish a new route for processing of MOF materials as thin films with fine-tuned thickness and offer a new perspective for transport properties of Zr-based MOFs without structural modification.