Exceptional capture of methane at low pressure by an iron-based metal-organic framework.

The selective capture of methane (CH4) at low concentrations and its separation from N2 are extremely challenging owing to the weak host-guest interactions between CH4 molecules and any sorbent material. Here, we report the exceptional adsorption of CH4 at low pressure and the efficient separation of CH4/N2 by MFM-300(Fe). MFM-300(Fe) shows a very high uptake for CH4 of 0.85 mmol g-1 at 1 mbar and 298 K and a record CH4/N2 selectivity of 45 for porous solids, representing a new benchmark for CH4 capture and CH4/N2 separation. The excellent separation of CH4/N2 by MFM-300(Fe) has been confirmed by dynamic breakthrough experiments. In situ neutron powder diffraction, and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopies, coupled with modelling, reveal a unique and strong binding of CH4 molecules involving Fe-OH⋯CH4 and C⋯phenyl ring interactions within the pores of MFM-300(Fe), thus promoting the exceptional adsorption of CH4 at low pressure.

Competition between Anion-Deficient Oxide and Oxyhydride Phases during the Topochemical Reduction of LaSrCoRuO6.

Binary metal hydrides can act as low-temperature reducing agents for complex oxides in the solid state, facilitating the synthesis of anion-deficient oxide or oxyhydride phases. The reaction of LaSrCoRuO6, with CaH2 in a sealed tube yields the face-centered cubic phase LaSrCoRuO3.2H1.9. The reaction with LiH under similar conditions converts LaSrCoRuO6 to a mixture of tetragonal LaSrCoRuO4.8H1.2 and cubic LaSrCoRuO3.3H2.13. The formation of the LaSrCoRuOxHy oxyhydride phases proceeds directly from the parent oxide, with no evidence for anion-deficient LaSrCoRuO6-x intermediates, in contrast with many other topochemically synthesized transition-metal oxyhydrides. However, the reaction between LaSrCoRuO6 and LiH under flowing argon yields a mixture of LaSrCoRuO5 and the infinite layer phase LaSrCoRuO4. The change to all-oxide products when reactions are performed under flowing argon is attributed to the lower hydrogen partial pressure under these conditions. The implications for the reaction mechanism of these topochemical transformations is discussed along with the role of the hydrogen partial pressure in oxyhydride synthesis. Magnetization measurements indicate the LaSrCoRuOxHy phases exhibit local moments on Co and Ru centers, which are coupled antiferromagnetically. In contrast, LaSrCoRuO4 exhibits ferromagnetic behavior with a Curie temperature above 350 K, which can be rationalized on the basis of superexchange coupling between the Co1+ and Ru2+ centers.

Revisiting the hydrogenation behavior of NdGa and its hydride phases.

NdGa hydride and deuteride phases were prepared from high-quality NdGa samples and their structures characterized by powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction and neutron powder diffraction. NdGa with the orthorhombic CrB-type structure absorbs hydrogen at hydrogen pressures ≤ 1 bar until reaching the composition NdGaH(D)1.1, which maintains a CrB-type structure. At elevated hydrogen pressure additional hydrogen is absorbed and the maximum composition recovered under standard temperature and pressure conditions is NdGaH(D)1.6 with the Cmcm LaGaH1.66-type structure. This structure is a threefold superstructure with respect to the CrB-type structure. The hydrogen atoms are ordered and distributed on three fully occupied Wyckoff positions corresponding to tetrahedral (4c, 8g) and trigonal-bipyramidal (8g) voids in the parent structure. The threefold superstructure is maintained in the H-deficient phases NaGaH(D)x until 1.6 ≥ x ≥ 1.2. At lower H concentrations, coinciding with the composition of the hydride obtained from hydrogenation at atmospheric pressure, the unit cell of the CrB-type structure is resumed. This phase can also display H deficiency, NdGaH(D)y (1.1 ≥ y ≥ 0.9), with H(D) exclusively situated in partially empty tetrahedral voids. The phase boundary between the threefold superstructure (LaGaH1.66 type) and the onefold structure (NdGaH1.1 type) is estimated on the basis of phase-composition isotherms and neutron powder diffraction to be x = 1.15.

Giant Room-Temperature Topological Hall Effect in a Square-Net Ferromagnet LaMn2Ge2.

A topological magnetic material showcases a multitude of intriguing properties resulting from the compelling interplay between topology and magnetism. These include notable phenomena such as a large anomalous Nernst effect (ANE), an anomalous Hall effect (AHE), and a topological Hall effect (THE). In most cases, topological transport phenomena are prevalent at temperatures considerably lower than room temperature, presenting a challenge for practical applications. However, the noncollinear ferromagnetic (FM) LaMn2Ge2, characterized by a Mn square-net lattice and a notably high Curie temperature (TC) of approximately 325 K, defies this trend as a topological semimetal. This work observes a giant topological Hall resistivity, ρ y x T $\rho _{yx}^T$ , of ≈4.5 µΩ cm at room temperature when the angle between the applied field and the c-axis is 75°, which is significantly higher than state-of-the-art materials with noncoplanar spin structures. The single crystal neutron diffraction measurements agree with an incommensurate conical magnetic structure as the ground state. This observation suggests the enhanced spin chirality resulting from the noncoplanar spin configuration when the applied field is away from the magnetic easy axis as the origin of a large contribution to the observed THE. The findings unequivocally demonstrate that the FM LaMn2Ge2 holds great promise as a potential topological semimetal for spintronic applications even at room temperature.

High adsorption of ammonia in a titanium-based metal-organic framework.

We report the high adsorption of NH3 in a titanium-based metal-organic framework, MFM-300(Ti), comprising extended [TiO6]∞ chains linked by biphenyl-3,3',5,5'-tetracarboxylate ligands. At 273 K and 1 bar, MFM-300(Ti) shows an exceptional NH3 uptake of 23.4 mmol g-1 with a record-high packing density of 0.84 g cm-3. Dynamic breakthrough experiments confirm the excellent uptake and separation of NH3 at low concentration (1000 ppm). The combination of in situ neutron powder diffraction and spectroscopic studies reveal strong, yet reversible binding interactions of NH3 to the framework oxygen sites.