Carbon Dioxide Capture Enhanced by Pre-Adsorption of Water and Methanol in UiO-66.

The rapidly rising level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere resulting from human activity is one of the greatest environmental problems facing our civilization today. Most technologies are not yet sufficiently developed to move existing infrastructure to cleaner alternatives. Therefore, techniques for capturing carbon dioxide from emission sources may play a key role at the moment. The structure of the UiO-66 material not only meets the requirement of high stability in contact with water vapor but through the water pre-adsorbed in the pores, the selectivity of carbon dioxide adsorption is increased. We successfully applied the recently developed methodology for water adsorption modelling. It allowed to elucidate the influence of water on CO2 adsorption and study the mechanism of this effect. We showed that water is adsorbed in octahedral cage and stands for promotor for CO2 adsorption in less favorable space than tetrahedral cages. Water plays a role of a mediator of adsorption, what is a general idea of improving affinity of adsorbate. On the basis of pre-adsorption of methanol as another polar solvent, we have shown that the adsorption sites play a key role here, and not, as previously thought, only the interaction between the solvent and quadrupole carbon dioxide. Overall, we explained the mechanism of increased CO2 adsorption in the presence of water and methanol, as polar solvents, in the UiO-66 pores for a potential post-combustion carbon dioxide capture application.

Macroscopic and Microscopic View of Competitive and Cooperative Adsorption of Alcohol Mixtures on ZIF-8.

While in most adsorptive separations different mixture components tend to compete for different adsorption sites, we report the existence of cooperative effects in the adsorption of alcohols (ethanol and 1-butanol) from the vapor phase on ZIF-8. The presence of these molecules in binary mixtures leads to an increase in their equilibrium capacities, compared to the pure component isotherms. These effects were first observed when predicting the mixture equilibrium capacities using the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) and were also observed via grand canonical Monte Carlo (GC MC) simulations. GC MC simulations showed that the interaction between adsorbate molecules leads to the cooperative effect predicted by IAST. The predicted cooperative adsorption could be confirmed via breakthrough experiments. In these experiments, a "roll-up" of 1-butanol was observed during the regeneration of a ZIF-8 packed column. A dynamic breakthrough model employing IAST was developed and used to explain the effect of the adsorption equilibrium on the dynamic breakthrough profiles.

Critical Role of Dynamic Flexibility in Ge-Containing Zeolites: Impact on Diffusion.

Incorporation of germanium in zeolites is well known to confer static flexibility to their framework, by stabilizing the formation of small rings. In this work, we show that the flexibility associated to Ge atoms in zeolites goes beyond this static effect, manifesting also a clear dynamic nature, in the sense that it leads to enhanced molecular diffusion. Our study combines experimental and theoretical methods providing evidence for this effect, which has not been described previously, as well as a rationalization for it, based on atomistic grounds. We have used both pure-silica and silico-germanate ITQ-29 (LTA topology) zeolites as a case study. Based on our simulations, we identify the flexibility associated to the pore breathing-like behavior induced by the Ge atoms, as the key factor leading to the enhanced diffusion observed experimentally in Ge-containing zeolites.

Separation of benzene from mixtures with water, methanol, ethanol, and acetone: highlighting hydrogen bonding and molecular clustering influences in CuBTC.

Configurational-bias Monte Carlo (CBMC) simulations are used to establish the potential of CuBTC for separation of water/benzene, methanol/benzene, ethanol/benzene, and acetone/benzene mixtures. For operations under pore saturation conditions, the separations are in favor of molecules that partner benzene; this is due to molecular packing effects that disfavor benzene. CBMC simulations for adsorption of quaternary water/methanol/ethanol/benzene mixtures show that water can be selectively adsorbed at pore saturation, making CuBTC effective in drying applications. Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory (IAST) calculations anticipate the right hierarchy of component loadings but the quantitative agreement with CBMC mixture simulations is poor for all investigated mixtures. The failure of the IAST to provide reasonable quantitative predictions of mixture adsorption is attributable to molecular clustering effects that are induced by hydrogen bonding between water-water, methanol-methanol, and ethanol-ethanol molecule pairs. There is, however, no detectable hydrogen bonding between benzene and partner molecules in the investigated mixtures. As a consequence of molecular clustering, the activity coefficients of benzene in the mixtures is lowered below unity by one to three orders of magnitude at pore saturation; such drastic reductions cannot be adequately captured by the Wilson model, that does not explicitly account for molecular clustering. Molecular clustering effects are also shown to influence the loading dependence of the diffusivities of guest molecules.

Molecular dynamics simulations of organohalide perovskite precursors: solvent effects in the formation of perovskite solar cells.

The stability and desirable crystal formation of organohalide perovskite semiconductors is of utmost relevance to ensure the success of perovskites in photovoltaic technology. Herein we have simulated the dynamics of ionic precursors toward the formation of embryonic organohalide perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 units in the presence of solvent molecules using Molecular Dynamics. The calculations involved, a variable amount of Pb(2+), I(-), and CH3NH3(+) ionic precursors in water, pentane and a mixture of these two solvents. Suitable force fields for solvents and precursors have been tested and used to carry out the simulations. Radial distribution functions and mean square displacements confirm the formation of basic perovskite crystalline units in pure pentane - taken as a simple and archetypal organic solvent. In contrast, simulations in water confirm the stability of the solvated ionic precursors, which prevents their aggregation to form the perovskite compound. We have found that in the case of a water/pentane binary solvent, a relatively small amount of water did not hinder the perovskite formation. Thus, our findings suggest that the cause of the poor stability of perovskite films in the presence of moisture is a chemical reaction, rather than the polar nature of the solvents. Based on the results, a set of force-field parameters to study from first principles perovskite formation and stability, also in the solid phase, is proposed.

Halogen-Decorated Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient and Selective CO2 Capture, Separation, and Chemical Fixation with Epoxides under Mild Conditions.

In the present work, three novel halogen-appended cadmium(II) metal-organic frameworks [Cd2(L1)2(4,4'-Bipy)2]n·4n(DMF) (1), [Cd2(L2)2(4,4'-Bipy)2]n·3n(DMF) (2), and [Cd(L3)(4,4'-Bipy)]n·2n(DMF) (3) [where L1 = 5-{(4-bromobenzyl)amino}isophthalate; L2 = 5-{(4-chlorobenzyl)amino}isophthalate; L3 = 5-{(4-fluorobenzyl)amino}isophthalate; 4,4'-Bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine; and DMF = N,N'-dimethylformamide] have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions and characterized by various analytical techniques. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated that all the MOFs feature a similar type of three-dimensional structure having a binuclear [Cd2(COO)4(N)4] secondary building block unit. Moreover, MOFs 1 and 2 contain one-dimensional channels along the b-axis, whereas MOF 3 possesses a 1D channel along the a-axis. In these MOFs, the pores are decorated with multifunctional groups, i.e., halogen and amine. The gas adsorption analysis of these MOFs demonstrate that they display high uptake of CO2 (up to 5.34 mmol/g) over N2 and CH4. The isosteric heat of adsorption (Qst) value for CO2 at zero loadings is in the range of 18-26 kJ mol-1. In order to understand the mechanism behind the better adsorption of CO2 by our MOFs, we have also performed configurational bias Monte Carlo simulation studies, which confirm that the interaction between our MOFs and CO2 is stronger compared to those with N2 and CH4. Various noncovalent interactions, e.g., halogen (X)···O, Cd···O, and O···O, between CO2 and the halogen atom, the Cd(II) metal center, and the carboxylate group from the MOFs are observed, respectively, which may be a reason for the higher carbon dioxide adsorption. Ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) calculations of MOF 1 demonstrate that the obtained selectivity values for CO2/CH4 (50:50) and CO2/N2 (15:85) are ca. 28 and 193 at 273 K, respectively. However, upon increasing the temperature to 298 K, the selectivity value (S = 34) decreases significantly for the CO2/N2 mixture. We have also calculated the breakthrough analysis curves for all the MOFs using mixtures of CO2/CH4 (50:50) and CO2/N2 (50:50 and 15:85) at different entering gas velocities and observed larger retention times for CO2 in comparison with other gases, which also signifies the stronger interaction between our MOFs and CO2. Moreover, due to the presence of Lewis acidic metal centers, these MOFs act as heterogeneous catalysts for the CO2 fixation reactions with different epoxides in the presence of tetrabutyl ammonium bromide (TBAB), for conversion into industrially valuable cyclic carbonates. These MOFs exhibit a high conversion (96-99%) of epichlorohydrin (ECH) to the corresponding cyclic carbonate 4-(chloromethyl)-1,3-dioxolan-2-one after 12 h of reaction time at 1 bar of CO2 pressure, at 65 °C. The MOFs can be reused up to four cycles without compromising their structural integrity as well as without losing their activity significantly.

Defect-induced tuning of polarity-dependent adsorption in hydrophobic-hydrophilic UiO-66.

Structural defects in metal-organic frameworks can be exploited to tune material properties. In the case of UiO-66 material, they may change its nature from hydrophobic to hydrophilic and therefore affect the mechanism of adsorption of polar and non-polar molecules. In this work, we focused on understanding this mechanism during adsorption of molecules with different dipole moments, using the standard volumetric adsorption measurements, IR spectroscopy, DFT + D calculations, and Monte Carlo calculations. Average occupation profiles showed that polar and nonpolar molecules change their preferences for adsorption sites. Hence, defects in the structure can be used to tune the adsorption properties of the MOF as well as to control the position of the adsorbates within the micropores of UiO-66.

Molecular simulation investigation into the performance of Cu-BTC metal-organic frameworks for carbon dioxide-methane separations.

We report a molecular simulation study for Cu-BTC metal-organic frameworks as carbon dioxide-methane separation devices. For this study we have computed adsorption and diffusion of methane and carbon dioxide in the structure, both as pure components and mixtures over the full range of bulk gas compositions. From the single component isotherms, mixture adsorption is predicted using the ideal adsorbed solution theory. These predictions are in very good agreement with our computed mixture isotherms and with previously reported data. Adsorption and diffusion selectivities and preferential sitings are also discussed with the aim to provide new molecular level information for all studied systems.

Role of Ionic Liquid [EMIM]+[SCN]- in the Adsorption and Diffusion of Gases in Metal-Organic Frameworks.

We study the adsorption performance of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) impregnated of ionic liquids (ILs). To this aim we calculated adsorption and diffusion of light gases (CO2, CH4, N2) and their mixtures in hybrid composites using molecular simulations. The hybrid composites consist of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate impregnated in IRMOF-1, HMOF-1, MIL-47, and MOF-1. We found that the increase of the amount of IL enhances the adsorption selectivity in favor of carbon dioxide for the mixtures CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 and in favor of methane in the mixture CH4/N2. We also provide detailed analysis of the microscopic organization of ILs and adsorbates via radial distribution functions and average occupation profiles and study the impact of the ILs in the diffusion of the adsorbates inside the pores of the MOFs. Based on our findings, we discuss the advantages of using IL/MOF composites for gas adsorption to increase the adsorption of gases and to control the pore sizes of the structures to foster selective adsorption.

Methane Adsorption in Zr-Based MOFs: Comparison and Critical Evaluation of Force Fields.

The search for nanoporous materials that are highly performing for gas storage and separation is one of the contemporary challenges in material design. The computational tools to aid these experimental efforts are widely available, and adsorption isotherms are routinely computed for huge sets of (hypothetical) frameworks. Clearly the computational results depend on the interactions between the adsorbed species and the adsorbent, which are commonly described using force fields. In this paper, an extensive comparison and in-depth investigation of several force fields from literature is reported for the case of methane adsorption in the Zr-based Metal-Organic Frameworks UiO-66, UiO-67, DUT-52, NU-1000, and MOF-808. Significant quantitative differences in the computed uptake are observed when comparing different force fields, but most qualitative features are common which suggests some predictive power of the simulations when it comes to these properties. More insight into the host-guest interactions is obtained by benchmarking the force fields with an extensive number of ab initio computed single molecule interaction energies. This analysis at the molecular level reveals that especially ab initio derived force fields perform well in reproducing the ab initio interaction energies. Finally, the high sensitivity of uptake predictions on the underlying potential energy surface is explored.