A Simple, Transition Metal Catalyst-Free Method for the Design of Complex Organic Building Blocks Used to Construct Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) having large pore sizes and volumes often requires the use of complex organic ligands, currently synthesized using costly and time-consuming palladium-catalyzed coupling chemistry. Thus, in the present work, a new strategy for ligand design is reported, where piperazine and dihydrophenazine units are used as substitutes for benzene rings, which are the basic building block of most MOF ligands. This chemistry, which is based on simple, nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SN Ar) reactions, is used for the transition metal catalyst-free construction of 21 new, carboxylate-based ligands with varying sizes, shapes, and denticity and 15 linear di- and tetra-nitriles. Moreover, to demonstrate the utility of the ligands as building blocks, 16 new structurally diverse MOFs having surface areas up to 3100 m2 g-1 were also synthesized.

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.

Synthesis and investigation of the thermal properties of [Co(NH3)6][Co(C2O4)3]·3H2O and [Ir(NH3)6][Ir(C2O4)3].

The complexes [Co(NH3)6][Ir(C2O4)3] and [Ir(NH3)6][Co(C2O4)3]·H2O have previously been synthesized and their thermal properties studied. The [Ir(NH3)6][Ir(C2O4)3] and [Co(NH3)6][Co(C2O4)3]·3H2O complexes considered here are the end members in a series of possible isostructural solid solutions based on the complex salts in the Co-Ir system. Their crystal structures and thermal properties are described in detail, including temperature-dependent in situ X-ray diffraction. During the thermolysis of these compounds, layered metal nanoparticles are formed. Close attention is paid to the details of the [Co(NH3)6][Ir(C2O4)3] synthesis. It has been shown that the formation of this complex salt is temperature dependent; upon heating, a new phase of the K3[Co(NH3)6][Ir(C2O4)3]2·6H2O salt is formed, which incorporates the initial iridium compound into the crystal structure of the double complex salt. The target [Co(NH3)6][Ir(C2O4)3] product is obtained if the synthesis is carried out at room temperature.

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-BDC2-) 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 CO2δ- species; the latter are adducts formed between CO2 and [amineH]+Br- salts that are produced during the amine grafting step.

Preparation of Highly Porous Metal-Organic Framework Beads for Metal Extraction from Liquid Streams.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer great promise in a variety of gas- and liquid-phase separations. However, the excellent performance on the lab scale hardly translates into pilot- or industrial-scale applications due to the microcrystalline nature of MOFs. Therefore, the structuring of MOFs into pellets or beads is a highly solicited and timely requirement. In this work, a general structuring method is developed for preparing MOF-polymer composite beads based on an easy polymerization strategy. This method adopts biocompatible, biodegradable poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and sodium alginate monomers, which are cross-linked using Ca2+ ions. Also, the preparation procedure employs water and hence is nontoxic. Moreover, the universal method has been applied to 12 different structurally diverse MOFs and three MOF-based composites. To validate the applicability of the structuring method, beads consisting of a MOF composite, namely Fe-BTC/PDA, were subsequently employed for the extraction of Pb and Pd ions from real-world water samples. For example, we find that just 1 g of Fe-BTC/PDA beads is able to decontaminate >10 L of freshwater containing highly toxic lead (Pb) concentrations of 600 ppb while under continuous flow. Moreover, the beads offer one of the highest Pd capacities to date, 498 mg of Pd per gram of composite bead. Furthermore, large quantities of Pd, 7.8 wt %, can be readily concentrated inside the bead while under continuous flow, and this value can be readily increased with regenerative cycling.

A metal-organic framework/polymer derived catalyst containing single-atom nickel species for electrocatalysis.

While metal-organic frameworks (MOF) alone offer a wide range of structural tunability, the formation of composites, through the introduction of other non-native species, like polymers, can further broaden their structure/property spectrum. Here we demonstrate that a polymer, placed inside the MOF pores, can support the collapsible MOF and help inhibit the aggregation of nickel during pyrolysis; this leads to the formation of single atom nickel species in the resulting nitrogen doped carbons, and dramatically improves the activity, CO selectivity and stability in electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. Considering the vast number of multifarious MOFs and polymers to choose from, we believe this strategy can open up more possibilities in the field of catalyst design, and further contribute to the already expansive set of MOF applications.

Understanding How Ligand Functionalization Influences CO2 and N2 Adsorption in a Sodalite Metal-Organic Framework.

In this work, a detailed study is conducted to understand how ligand substitution influences the CO2 and N2 adsorption properties of two highly crystalline sodalite metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) known as Cu-BTT (BTT-3 = 1,3,5-benzenetristetrazolate) and Cu-BTTri (BTTri-3 = 1,3,5-benzenetristriazolate). The enthalpy of adsorption and observed adsorption capacities at a given pressure are significantly lower for Cu-BTTri compared to its tetrazole counterpart, Cu-BTT. In situ X-ray and neutron diffraction, which allow visualization of the CO2 and N2 binding sites on the internal surface of Cu-BTTri, provide insights into understanding the subtle differences. As expected, slightly elongated distances between the open Cu2+ sites and surface-bound CO2 in Cu-BTTri can be explained by the fact that the triazolate ligand is a better electron donor than the tetrazolate. The more pronounced Jahn-Teller effect in Cu-BTTri leads to weaker guest binding. The results of the aforementioned structural analysis were complemented by the prediction of the binding energies at each CO2 and N2 adsorption site by density functional theory calculations. In addition, variable temperature in situ diffraction measurements shed light on the fine structural changes of the framework and CO2 occupancies at different adsorption sites as a function of temperature. Finally, simulated breakthrough curves obtained for both sodalite MOFs demonstrate the materials' potential performance in dry postcombustion CO2 capture. The simulation, which considers both framework uptake capacity and selectivity, predicts better separation performance for Cu-BTT. The information obtained in this work highlights how ligand substitution can influence adsorption properties and hence provides further insights into the material optimization for important separations.

Selective CO2 adsorption by a new metal-organic framework: synergy between open metal sites and a charged imidazolinium backbone.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous, tunable crystalline materials that are attracting widespread scientific attention for their potential use in post-combustion CO2 capture. In this work, we report the synthesis of a new ligand, 1,3-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-3-ium tetrafluoroborate, H2Sp5-BF4, that is subsequently used for the construction of a novel MOF, Cu-Sp5-EtOH. This highly crystalline material has a charged framework that is expected to give rise to high CO2/N2 selectivity. However, the pores of the parent structure could not be accessed due to the presence of strongly coordinated ethanol molecules. After solvent exchange with methanol and subsequently heating Cu-Sp5-MeOH under vacuum, we are able to liberate the solvent providing other small molecules like CO2 access to the inside of the now porous structure, Cu-Sp5. The combination of open metal sites and framework charge leads to an exceptionally high CO2/N2 selectivity, as determined by Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory (IAST) calculations performed on single-component adsorption isotherms. The CO2/N2 selectivity of Cu-Sp5 reaches a value of over 200 at pressures typically found in post-combustion flue gas (0.15 bar CO2/0.85 bar N2), a value that is among the highest reported to date.

Harnessing Defect-Tolerance at the Nanoscale: Highly Luminescent Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals in Mesoporous Silica Matrixes.

Colloidal lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have recently emerged as a novel class of bright emitters with pure colors spanning the entire visible spectral range. Contrary to conventional quantum dots, such as CdSe and InP NCs, perovskite NCs feature unusual, defect-tolerant photophysics. Specifically, surface dangling bonds and intrinsic point defects such as vacancies do not form midgap states, known to trap carriers and thereby quench photoluminescence (PL). Accordingly, perovskite NCs need not be electronically surface-passivated (with, for instance, ligands and wider-gap materials) and do not noticeably suffer from photo-oxidation. Novel opportunities for their preparation therefore can be envisaged. Herein, we show that the infiltration of perovskite precursor solutions into the pores of mesoporous silica, followed by drying, leads to the template-assisted formation of perovskite NCs. The most striking outcome of this simple methodology is very bright PL with quantum efficiencies exceeding 50%. This facile strategy can be applied to a large variety of perovskite compounds, hybrid and fully inorganic, with the general formula APbX3, where A is cesium (Cs), methylammonium (MA), or formamidinium (FA), and X is Cl, Br, I or a mixture thereof. The luminescent properties of the resulting templated NCs can be tuned by both quantum size effects as well as composition. Also exhibiting intrinsic haze due to scattering within the composite, such materials may find applications as replacements for conventional phosphors in liquid-crystal television display technologies and in related luminescence down-conversion-based devices.