Trace benzene capture by decoration of structural defects in metal-organic framework materials.

Capture of trace benzene is an important and challenging task. Metal-organic framework materials are promising sorbents for a variety of gases, but their limited capacity towards benzene at low concentration remains unresolved. Here we report the adsorption of trace benzene by decorating a structural defect in MIL-125-defect with single-atom metal centres to afford MIL-125-X (X = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn; MIL-125, Ti8O8(OH)4(BDC)6 where H2BDC is 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid). At 298 K, MIL-125-Zn exhibits a benzene uptake of 7.63 mmol g-1 at 1.2 mbar and 5.33 mmol g-1 at 0.12 mbar, and breakthrough experiments confirm the removal of trace benzene (from 5 to <0.5 ppm) from air (up to 111,000 min g-1 of metal-organic framework), even after exposure to moisture. The binding of benzene to the defect and open Zn(II) sites at low pressure has been visualized by diffraction, scattering and spectroscopy. This work highlights the importance of fine-tuning pore chemistry for designing adsorbents for the removal of air pollutants.

Enhanced Benzene Adsorption in Chloro-Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The functionalization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to enhance the adsorption of benzene at trace levels remains a significant challenge. Here, we report the exceptional adsorption of trace benzene in a series of zirconium-based MOFs functionalized with chloro groups. Notably, MFM-68-Cl2, constructed from an anthracene linker incorporating chloro groups, exhibits a remarkable benzene uptake of 4.62 mmol g-1 at 298 K and 0.12 mbar, superior to benchmark materials. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy, and inelastic neutron scattering, coupled with density functional theory modeling, reveal the mechanism of binding of benzene in these materials. Overall, the excellent adsorption performance is promoted by an unprecedented cooperation between chloro-groups, the optimized pore size, aromatic functionality, and the flexibility of the linkers in response to benzene uptake in MFM-68-Cl2. This study represents the first example of enhanced adsorption of trace benzene promoted by -CH···Cl and Cl···π interactions in porous materials.

Direct photo-oxidation of methane to methanol over a mono-iron hydroxyl site.

Natural gas, consisting mainly of methane (CH4), has a relatively low energy density at ambient conditions (~36 kJ l-1). Partial oxidation of CH4 to methanol (CH3OH) lifts the energy density to ~17 MJ l-1 and drives the production of numerous chemicals. In nature, this is achieved by methane monooxygenase with di-iron sites, which is extremely challenging to mimic in artificial systems due to the high dissociation energy of the C-H bond in CH4 (439 kJ mol-1) and facile over-oxidation of CH3OH to CO and CO2. Here we report the direct photo-oxidation of CH4 over mono-iron hydroxyl sites immobilized within a metal-organic framework, PMOF-RuFe(OH). Under ambient and flow conditions in the presence of H2O and O2, CH4 is converted to CH3OH with 100% selectivity and a time yield of 8.81 ± 0.34 mmol gcat-1 h-1 (versus 5.05 mmol gcat-1 h-1 for methane monooxygenase). By using operando spectroscopic and modelling techniques, we find that confined mono-iron hydroxyl sites bind CH4 by forming an [Fe-OH···CH4] intermediate, thus lowering the barrier for C-H bond activation. The confinement of mono-iron hydroxyl sites in a porous matrix demonstrates a strategy for C-H bond activation in CH4 to drive the direct photosynthesis of CH3OH.

Impact of Host-Guest Interactions on the Dielectric Properties of MFM-300 Materials.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials are attracting increasing interest in the field of electronics due to their structural diversity, intrinsic porosity, and designable host-guest interactions. Here, we report the dielectric properties of a series of robust materials, MFM-300(M) (M = Al, Sc, Cr, Fe, Ga, In), when exposed to different guest molecules. MFM-300(Fe) exhibits the most notable increase in dielectric constant to 35.3 ± 0.3 at 10 kHz upon adsorption of NH3. Structural analysis suggests that the electron delocalization induced by host-guest interactions between NH3 and the MOF host, as confirmed by neutron powder diffraction studies, leads to structural polarization, resulting in a high dielectric constant for NH3@MFM-300(Fe). This is further supported by ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transitions observed by solid-state UV/vis spectroscopy. The high detection sensitivity and stability to NH3 suggest that MFM-300(Fe) may act as a powerful dielectric-based sensor for NH3.

Highly Efficient Proton Conduction in the Metal-Organic Framework Material MFM-300(Cr)·SO4(H3O)2.

The development of materials showing rapid proton conduction with a low activation energy and stable performance over a wide temperature range is an important and challenging line of research. Here, we report confinement of sulfuric acid within porous MFM-300(Cr) to give MFM-300(Cr)·SO4(H3O)2, which exhibits a record-low activation energy of 0.04 eV, resulting in stable proton conductivity between 25 and 80 °C of >10-2 S cm-1. In situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (SXPD), neutron powder diffraction (NPD), quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation reveal the pathways of proton transport and the molecular mechanism of proton diffusion within the pores. Confined sulfuric acid species together with adsorbed water molecules play a critical role in promoting the proton transfer through this robust network to afford a material in which proton conductivity is almost temperature-independent.

Adsorption of Sulfur Dioxide in Cu(II)-Carboxylate Framework Materials: The Role of Ligand Functionalization and Open Metal Sites.

The development of efficient sorbent materials for sulfur dioxide (SO2) is of key industrial interest. However, due to the corrosive nature of SO2, conventional porous materials often exhibit poor reversibility and limited uptake toward SO2 sorption. Here, we report high adsorption of SO2 in a series of Cu(II)-carboxylate-based metal-organic framework materials. We describe the impact of ligand functionalization and open metal sites on the uptake and reversibility of SO2 adsorption. Specifically, MFM-101 and MFM-190(F) show fully reversible SO2 adsorption with remarkable capacities of 18.7 and 18.3 mmol g-1, respectively, at 298 K and 1 bar; the former represents the highest reversible uptake of SO2 under ambient conditions among all porous solids reported to date. In situ neutron powder diffraction and synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy enable the direct visualization of binding domains of adsorbed SO2 molecules as well as host-guest binding dynamics. We have found that the combination of open Cu(II) sites and ligand functionalization, together with the size and geometry of metal-ligand cages, plays an integral role in the enhancement of SO2 binding.

Direct Observation of Ammonia Storage in UiO-66 Incorporating Cu(II) Binding Sites.

The presence of active sites in metal-organic framework (MOF) materials can control and affect their performance significantly in adsorption and catalysis. However, revealing the interactions between the substrate and active sites in MOFs at atomic precision remains a challenging task. Here, we report the direct observation of binding of NH3 in a series of UiO-66 materials containing atomically dispersed defects and open Cu(I) and Cu(II) sites. While all MOFs in this series exhibit similar surface areas (1111-1135 m2 g-1), decoration of the -OH site in UiO-66-defect with Cu(II) results in a 43% enhancement of the isothermal uptake of NH3 at 273 K and 1.0 bar from 11.8 in UiO-66-defect to 16.9 mmol g-1 in UiO-66-CuII. A 100% enhancement of dynamic adsorption of NH3 at a concentration level of 630 ppm from 2.07 mmol g-1 in UiO-66-defect to 4.15 mmol g-1 in UiO-66-CuII at 298 K is observed. In situ neutron powder diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering, and electron paramagnetic resonance, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and infrared spectroscopies, coupled with modeling reveal that the enhanced NH3 uptake in UiO-66-CuII originates from a {Cu(II)···NH3} interaction, with a reversible change in geometry at Cu(II) from near-linear to trigonal coordination. This work represents the first example of structural elucidation of NH3 binding in MOFs containing open metal sites and will inform the design of new efficient MOF sorbents by targeted control of active sites for NH3 capture and storage.

A {Ni12 }-Wheel-Based Metal-Organic Framework for Coordinative Binding of Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide.

Air pollution by SO2 and NO2 has caused significant risks on the environment and human health. Understanding the mechanism of active sites within capture materials is of fundamental importance to the development of new clean-up technologies. Here we report the crystallographic observation of reversible coordinative binding of SO2 and NO2 on open NiII sites in a metal-organic framework (NKU-100) incorporating unprecedented {Ni12 }-wheels; each wheel exhibits six open NiII sites on desolvation. Immobilised gas molecules are further stabilised by cooperative host-guest interactions comprised of hydrogen bonds, π⋅⋅⋅π interactions and dipole interactions. At 298 K and 1.0 bar, NKU-100 shows adsorption uptakes of 6.21 and 5.80 mmol g-1 for SO2 and NO2 , respectively. Dynamic breakthrough experiments have confirmed the selective retention of SO2 and NO2 at low concentrations under dry conditions. This work will inspire the future design of efficient sorbents for the capture of SO2 and NO2 .

Structural and Dynamic Analysis of Sulphur Dioxide Adsorption in a Series of Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks.

We report reversible high capacity adsorption of SO2 in robust Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF) materials. Zr-bptc (H4 bptc=biphenyl-3,3',5,5'-tetracarboxylic acid) shows a high SO2 uptake of 6.2 mmol g-1 at 0.1 bar and 298 K, reflecting excellent capture capability and removal of SO2 at low concentration (2500 ppm). Dynamic breakthrough experiments confirm that the introduction of amine, atomically-dispersed CuII or heteroatomic sulphur sites into the pores enhance the capture of SO2 at low concentrations. The captured SO2 can be converted quantitatively to a pharmaceutical intermediate, aryl N-aminosulfonamide, thus converting waste to chemical values. In situ X-ray diffraction, infrared micro-spectroscopy and inelastic neutron scattering enable the visualisation of the binding domains of adsorbed SO2 molecules and host-guest binding dynamics in these materials at the atomic level. Refinement of the pore environment plays a critical role in designing efficient sorbent materials.

High Ammonia Adsorption in MFM-300 Materials: Dynamics and Charge Transfer in Host-Guest Binding.

Ammonia (NH3) is a promising energy resource owing to its high hydrogen density. However, its widespread application is restricted by the lack of efficient and corrosion-resistant storage materials. Here, we report high NH3 adsorption in a series of robust metal-organic framework (MOF) materials, MFM-300(M) (M = Fe, V, Cr, In). MFM-300(M) (M = Fe, VIII, Cr) show fully reversible capacity for >20 cycles, reaching capacities of 16.1, 15.6, and 14.0 mmol g-1, respectively, at 273 K and 1 bar. Under the same conditions, MFM-300(VIV) exhibits the highest uptake among this series of MOFs of 17.3 mmol g-1. In situ neutron powder diffraction, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy confirm that the redox-active V center enables host-guest charge transfer, with VIV being reduced to VIII and NH3 being oxidized to hydrazine (N2H4). A combination of in situ inelastic neutron scattering and DFT modeling has revealed the binding dynamics of adsorbed NH3 within these MOFs to afford a comprehensive insight into the application of MOF materials to the adsorption and conversion of NH3.

Quantitative Electro-Reduction of CO2 to Liquid Fuel over Electro-Synthesized Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Efficient electro-reduction of CO2 over metal-organic framework (MOF) materials is hindered by the poor contact between thermally synthesized MOF particles and the electrode surface, which leads to low Faradaic efficiency for a given product and poor electrochemical stability of the catalyst. We report a MOF-based electrode prepared via electro-synthesis of MFM-300(In) on an indium foil, and its activity for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 is assessed. The resultant MFM-300(In)-e/In electrode shows a 1 order of magnitude improvement in conductivity compared with that for MFM-300(In)/carbon-paper electrodes. MFM-300(In)-e/In exhibits a current density of 46.1 mA cm-2 at an applied potential of -2.15 V vs Ag/Ag+ for the electro-reduction of CO2 in organic electrolyte, achieving an exceptional Faradaic efficiency of 99.1% for the formation of formic acid. The facile preparation of the MFM-300(In)-e/In electrode, coupled with its excellent electrochemical stability, provides a new pathway to develop efficient electro-catalysts for CO2 reduction.

Guest-Controlled Incommensurate Modulation in a Meta-Rigid Metal-Organic Framework Material.

Structural transitions of host systems in response to guest binding dominate many chemical processes. We report an unprecedented type of structural flexibility within a meta-rigid material, MFM-520, which exhibits a reversible periodic-to-aperiodic structural transition resulting from a drastic distortion of a [ZnO4N] node controlled by the specific host-guest interactions. The aperiodic crystal structure of MFM-520 has no three-dimensional (3D) lattice periodicity but shows translational symmetry in higher-dimensional (3 + 2)D space. We have directly visualized the aperiodic state which is induced by incommensurate modulation of the periodic framework of MFM-520·H2O upon dehydration to give MFM-520. Filling MFM-520 with CO2 and SO2 reveals that, while CO2 has a minimal structural influence, SO2 can further modulate the structure incommensurately. MFM-520 shows exceptional selectivity for SO2 under flue-gas desulfurization conditions, and the facile release of captured SO2 from MFM-520 enabled the conversion to valuable sulfonamide products. MFM-520 can thus be used as a highly efficient capture and delivery system for SO2.

Synchrotron Photothermal Infrared Nanospectroscopy of Drug-Induced Phospholipidosis in Macrophages.

Synchrotron resonance-enhanced infrared atomic force microscopy (RE-AFM-IR) is a near-field photothermal vibrational nanoprobe developed at Diamond Light Source (DLS), capable of measuring mid-infrared absorption spectra with spatial resolution around 100 nm. The present study reports a first application of synchrotron RE-AFM-IR to interrogate biological soft matter at the subcellular level, in this case, on a cellular model of drug-induced phospholipidosis (DIPL). J774A-1 macrophages were exposed to amiodarone (10 µM) or medium for 24 h and chemically fixed. AFM topography maps revealed amiodarone-treated cells with enlarged cytoplasm and very thin regions corresponding to collapsed vesicles. IR maps of the whole cell were analyzed by exploiting the RE-AFM-IR overall signal, i.e., the integrated RE-AFM-IR signal amplitude versus AFM-derived cell thickness, also on lateral resolution around 100 nm. Results show that vibrational band assignment was possible, and all characteristic peaks for lipids, proteins, and DNA/RNA were identified. Both peak ratio and unsupervised chemometric analysis of RE-AFM-IR nanospectra generated from the nuclear and perinuclear regions of untreated and amiodarone-treated cells showed that the perinuclear region (i.e., cytoplasm) of amiodarone-treated cells had significantly elevated band intensities in the regions corresponding to phosphate and carbonyl groups, indicating detection of phospholipid-rich inclusion bodies typical for cells with DIPL. The results of this study are of importance to demonstrate not only the applicability of Synchrotron RE-AFM-IR to soft biological matters with subcellular spatial resolution but also that the spectral information gathered from an individual submicron sample volume enables chemometric identification of treatment and biochemical differences between mammalian cells.

Reversible coordinative binding and separation of sulfur dioxide in a robust metal-organic framework with open copper sites.

Emissions of SO2 from flue gas and marine transport have detrimental impacts on the environment and human health, but SO2 is also an important industrial feedstock if it can be recovered, stored and transported efficiently. Here we report the exceptional adsorption and separation of SO2 in a porous material, [Cu2(L)] (H4L = 4',4‴-(pyridine-3,5-diyl)bis([1,1'-biphenyl]-3,5-dicarboxylic acid)), MFM-170. MFM-170 exhibits fully reversible SO2 uptake of 17.5 mmol g-1 at 298 K and 1.0 bar, and the SO2 binding domains for trapped molecules within MFM-170 have been determined. We report the reversible coordination of SO2 to open Cu(II) sites, which contributes to excellent adsorption thermodynamics and selectivities for SO2 binding and facile regeneration of MFM-170 after desorption. MFM-170 is stable to water, acid and base and shows great promise for the dynamic separation of SO2 from simulated flue gas mixtures, as confirmed by breakthrough experiments.

Infrared spectra of micro-structured samples with microPhotoacoustic spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation.

Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) measures the photon absorption spectrum of a sample through detection of the acoustic wave generated by the photothermal effect as one modulates the intensity of the incident radiation at each wavelength. We have recently demonstrated the implementation of PAS in a microscopy configuration with mid-infrared radiation (microPAS). In the present work, we describe the performance of microPAS using synchrotron radiation (SR) in diffraction-limited spectromicroscopy and imaging experiments. Spectra were obtained for polystyrene beads, polypropylene fibres, and single fibres of human hair. SR produced microPAS spectra of much higher intensity as compared with those obtained using conventional mid- and near-infrared sources. For hair samples, the penetration depth of mid-infrared light, even with bright SR, is significantly shorter than the probed sample thickness at very low modulation frequencies resulting in saturated PAS spectra. In contrast, microPAS spectra of polymer beads were in general of much better quality than those obtained with conventional sources. We also demonstrated the capability to collect line profiles and line spectra at diffraction limited spatial resolution. The microPAS spectra of beads appear free from appreciable bandshape distortions arising from the real part of the refractive index of the sample. This observation confirms microPAS as an absorption-only technique and establishes it as a valuable new tool in the microspectroscopic analysis of particulates and of samples with a complex topography.

Effects of crystal size on methanol to hydrocarbon conversion over single crystals of ZSM-5 studied by synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy.

Operando synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy (OIMS) was used to study the conversion of methanol over coffin-shaped HZSM-5 crystals of different sizes: large (∼250 × 80 × 85 µm3), medium (∼160 × 60 × 60 µm3) and small (∼55 × 30 × 30 µm3). The induction period, for direct alkene formation by deprotonation of surface methoxy groups, was found to decrease with decreasing crystal size and with increasing reaction temperature. Experiments with a continuous flow of dimethylether showed that evolution of the hydrocarbon pool and indirect alkene formation is also strongly dependent on crystal size. These measurements suggest that the hydrocarbon pool formation and indirect alkene generation should be almost instantaneous at reaction temperatures used in practical catalysis with crystal sizes typically ∼1 µm3.

Anticancer drug impact on DNA - a study by neutron spectroscopy coupled with synchrotron-based FTIR and EXAFS.

Complementary structural and dynamical information on drug-DNA interplay has been achieved at a molecular level, for Pt/Pd-drugs, allowing a better understanding of their pharmacodynamic profile which is crucial for the development of improved chemotherapeutic agents. The interaction of two cisplatin-like dinuclear Pt(ii) and Pd(ii) complexes with DNA was studied through a multidisciplinary experimental approach, using quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) techniques coupled with synchrotron-based extended X-ray absorption fine structure (SR-EXAFS) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy-Attenuated Total Reflectance (SR-FTIR-ATR). DNA extracted from drug-exposed human triple negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) was used, with a view to evaluate the effect of the unconventional antineoplastic agents on this low prognosis type of cancer. The drug impact on DNA's dynamical profile, via its hydration layer, was provided by QENS, a drug-triggered enhanced mobility having been revealed. Additionally, an onset of anharmonicity was detected for dehydrated DNA, at room temperature. Far- and mid-infrared measurements allowed the first simultaneous detection of the drugs and their primary pharmacological target, as well as the drug-prompted changes in DNA's conformation that mediate cytotoxicity. The local environment of the absorbing Pd(ii) and Pt(ii) centers in the drugs' adducts with adenine, guanine and glutathione was attained by EXAFS.

Ammonia Storage by Reversible Host-Guest Site Exchange in a Robust Metal-Organic Framework.

MFM-300(Al) shows reversible uptake of NH3 (15.7 mmol g-1 at 273 K and 1.0 bar) over 50 cycles with an exceptional packing density of 0.62 g cm-3 at 293 K. In situ neutron powder diffraction and synchrotron FTIR micro-spectroscopy on ND3 @MFM-300(Al) confirms reversible H/D site exchange between the adsorbent and adsorbate, representing a new type of adsorption interaction.

Confinement of Iodine Molecules into Triple-Helical Chains within Robust Metal-Organic Frameworks.

During nuclear waste disposal process, radioactive iodine as a fission product can be released. The widespread implementation of sustainable nuclear energy thus requires the development of efficient iodine stores that have simultaneously high capacity, stability and more importantly, storage density (and hence minimized system volume). Here, we report high I2 adsorption in a series of robust porous metal-organic materials, MFM-300(M) (M = Al, Sc, Fe, In). MFM-300(Sc) exhibits fully reversible I2 uptake of 1.54 g g-1, and its structure remains completely unperturbed upon inclusion/removal of I2. Direct observation and quantification of the adsorption, binding domains and dynamics of guest I2 molecules within these hosts have been achieved using XPS, TGA-MS, high resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction, pair distribution function analysis, Raman, terahertz and neutron spectroscopy, coupled with density functional theory modeling. These complementary techniques reveal a comprehensive understanding of the host-I2 and I2-I2 binding interactions at a molecular level. The initial binding site of I2 in MFM-300(Sc), I2I, is located near the bridging hydroxyl group of the [ScO4(OH)2] moiety [I2I···H-O = 2.263(9) Å] with an occupancy of 0.268. I2II is located interstitially between two phenyl rings of neighboring ligand molecules [I2II···phenyl ring = 3.378(9) and 4.228(5) Å]. I2II is 4.565(2) Å from the hydroxyl group with an occupancy of 0.208. Significantly, at high I2 loading an unprecedented self-aggregation of I2 molecules into triple-helical chains within the confined nanovoids has been observed at crystallographic resolution, leading to a highly efficient packing of I2 molecules with an exceptional I2 storage density of 3.08 g cm-3 in MFM-300(Sc).