Ligand Functionalization and Its Effect on CO2 Adsorption in Microporous Metal–Organic Frameworks

We report two new 3D structures, [Zn₃(bpdc)₃(2,2′‐dmbpy)] (DMF)_x(H₂O)_y ( 1 ) and [Zn₃(bpdc)₃(3,3′‐dmbpy)]?(DMF)₄(H₂O)_0.5 ( 2 ), by methyl functionalization of the pillar ligand in [Zn₃(bpdc)₃(bpy)] (DMF)₄?(H₂O) ( 3 ) (bpdc=biphenyl‐4,4′‐dicarboxylic acid; z,z′‐dmbpy=z,z′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bipyridine; bpy=4,4′‐bipyridine). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis indicates that 2 is isostructural to 3 , and the power X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) study shows a very similar framework of 1 to 2 and 3 . Both 1 and 2 are 3D porous structures made of Zn₃(COO)₆ secondary building units (SBUs) and 2,2′‐ or 3,3′‐dmbpy as pillar ligand. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and PXRD studies reveal high thermal and water stability for both compounds. Gas‐adsorption studies show that the reduction of surface area and pore volume by introducing a methyl group to the bpy ligand leads to a decrease in H₂ uptake for both compounds. However, CO₂ adsorption experiments with 1′ (guest‐free 1 ) indicate significant enhancement in CO₂ uptake, whereas for 2′ (guest‐free 2 ) the adsorbed amount is decreased. These results suggest that there are two opposing and competitive effects brought on by methyl functionalization: the enhancement due to increased isosteric heats of CO₂ adsorption (Q_st), and the detraction due to the reduction of surface area and pore volume. For 1′ , the enhancement effect dominates, which leads to a significantly higher uptake of CO₂ than its parent compound 3′ (guest‐free 3 ). For 2′ , the detraction effect predominates, thereby resulting in reduced CO₂ uptake relative to its parent structure 3′ . IR and Raman spectroscopic studies also present evidence for strong interaction between CO₂ and methyl‐functionalized π moieties. Furthermore, all compounds exhibit high separation capability for CO₂ over other small gases including CH₄, CO, N₂, and O₂.     

Molecular hydrogen "pairing" interaction in a metal organic framework system with unsaturated metal centers (MOF-74)

Infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy measurements of molecular hydrogen in MOF-74-M (M = metal center) are performed as a function of temperature and pressure [to 45 kTorr (60 bar) at 300 K, and at lower pressures in the 20-200 K range] to investigate the nature of H(2) interactions with the unsaturated metal centers. A small shift (～?-30 cm(-1) with respect to the unperturbed H(2) molecule) is observed for the internal stretch frequency of H(2) molecules adsorbed on the metal site at low loading. This finding is in contrast to much larger shifts (～?-70 cm(-1)) observed in previous studies of MOFs with unsaturated metal centers (including MOF-74) and the general assumption that H(2) stretch shifts depend on adsorption energies (FitzGerald et al., Phys. Rev. B 2010, 81, 104305). We show that larger shifts (～?-70 cm(-1)) do occur, but only when the next available site ("oxygen" site) is occupied. This larger shift originates from H(2)-H(2) interactions on neighboring sites of the same pore, consistent with the short distance between H(2) in these two sites ～2.6 ? derived from an analysis of neutron diffraction experiments of D(2)-D(2) at 4 K (Liu et al., Langmuir 2008, 24, 4772-4777). Our results at 77 K and low loading can be explained by a diffusion barrier against pair disruption, which should be enhanced by this interaction. Calculations indicate that the vibrational shifts do not correlate with binding energies and are instead very sensitive to the environment (interaction potential and H(2)-H(2) interactions), which complicates the use of variable temperature IR methods to calculate adsorption energies of specific adsorption sites.     

Surface and Structural Investigation of a MnOx Birnessite‐Type Water Oxidation Catalyst Formed under Photocatalytic Conditions

Catalytically active MnO_x species have been reported to form in situ from various Mn‐complexes during electrocatalytic and solution‐based water oxidation when employing cerium(IV) ammonium ammonium nitrate (CAN) oxidant as a sacrificial reagent. The full structural characterization of these oxides may be complicated by the presence of support material and lack of a pure bulk phase. For the first time, we show that highly active MnO_x catalysts form without supports in situ under photocatalytic conditions. Our most active ⁴MnO_x catalyst (～0.84 mmol O₂ mol Mn^?1 s^?1) forms from a Mn₄O₄ bearing a metal–organic framework. ⁴MnO_x is characterized by pair distribution function analysis (PDF), Raman spectroscopy, and HR‐TEM as a disordered, layered Mn‐oxide with high surface area (216 m²g^?1) and small regions of crystallinity and layer flexibility. In contrast, the ^SMnO_x formed from Mn²⁺ salt gives an amorphous species of lower surface area (80 m²g^?1) and lower activity (～0.15 mmol O₂ mol Mn^?1 s^?1). We compare these catalysts to crystalline hexagonal birnessite, which activates under the same conditions. Full deconvolution of the XPS Mn2p_3/2 core levels detects enriched Mn³⁺ and Mn²⁺ content on the surfaces, which indicates possible disproportionation/comproportionation surface equilibria.     

UV-induced immobilization of tethered zirconocenes on H-terminated silicon surfaces

A tethered ethylenebis(indenyl) zirconocene was covalently immobilized on H-terminated Si(111) surfaces using UV-mediated alkene hydrosilylation, thus making possible the development of structured catalytic surfaces with highly controlled properties.     

Towards modelling the vibrational signatures of functionalized surfaces: carboxylic acids on H-Si(111) surfaces

In this work, we investigate the adsorption process of two carboxylic acids (stearic and undecylenic) on a H-Si(111) surface via the calculation of structural and energy changes as well as the simulation of their IR and Raman spectra. The two molecules adsorb differently at the surface since the stearic acid simply physisorbs while the undecylenic acid undergoes a chemical reaction with the hydrogen atoms of the surface. This difference is observed in the change of geometry during the adsorption. Indeed, the chemisorption of the undecylenic acid has a bigger impact on the structure than the physisorption of the stearic acid. Consistently, the former is also characterized by a larger value of adsorption energy and a smaller value of the tilting angle with respect to the normal plane. For both the IR and Raman signatures, the spectra of both molecules adsorbed at the surface are in a first approximation the superposition of the spectra of the Si cluster and of the carboxylic acid considered individually. The main deviation from this simple observation is the peak of the stretching Si-H (ν(Si-H)) mode, which is split into two peaks upon adsorption. As expected, the splitting is bigger for the chemisorption than the physisorption. The modes corresponding to atomic displacements close to the adsorption site display a frequency upshift by a dozen wavenumbers. One can also see the disappearance of the peaks associated with the C=C double bond when the undecylenic acid chemisorbs at the surface. The Raman and IR spectra are complementary and one can observe here that the most active Raman modes are generally IR inactive. Two exceptions to this are the two ν(Si-H) modes which are active in both spectroscopies. Finally, we compare our simulated spectra with some experimental measurements and we find an overall good agreement.     

Infrared spectroscopy of hydrogen on silicon surfaces

This paper is a review of infrared studies of hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces. Emphasis is given to the ideally H-terminated Si(1 1 1) surface, prepared by wet chemical techniques, because detailed information can be obtained concerning the Si-H stretching vibration, such as its precise frequency and effective charge, its lifetime and the nature of its anharmonic coupling to the SiH bending mode and to the substrate surface phonons. Comparison of this nearly ideal surface with the H-exposed Si(1 1 1)7 × 7, Si(1 1 1)2 × 1 and Si(1 0 0)2 × 1 gives some insight into the effects of reconstruction and strain on the Si-H vibrational spectrum.