Metal-organic frameworks—New materials for hydrogen storage

Published data on the physical sorption of hydrogen by new materials with a large specific surface area, crystalline microporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are systematized and analyzed. The hydrogen-accumulating properties of MOFs are compared with those of traditional materials (charcoals and zeolites) and nanocarbon systems. The role of secondary hydrogen spillover in the development of new approaches to increase the adsorption capacity of hydrogen storage materials is separately considered.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of gas diffusion in metal-organic frameworks: argon in CuBTC

The class of coordination polymers known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has three-dimensional porous structures that are considered as a promising alternative to zeolites and other nanoporous materials for catalysis, gas adsorption, and gas separation applications. In this paper, we present the first study of gas diffusion inside an MOF and compare the observed diffusion to known behaviors in zeolites. Using grand canonical Monte Carlo and equilibrium molecular dynamics, we calculate the adsorption isotherm and self-, corrected, and transport diffusivities for argon in the CuBTC metal-organic framework. Our results indicate that diffusion of Ar in CuBTC is very similar to Ar diffusion in silica zeolites in magnitude, concentration, and temperature dependence. This conclusion appears to apply to a broad range of MOF structures.     

Understanding hydrogen adsorption in metal-organic frameworks with open metal sites: a computational study

Recent experimental investigations show that the open metal sites may have a favorable impact on the hydrogen adsorption capacity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs); however, no definite evidence has been obtained to date and little is known on the interactions between hydrogen and the pore walls of this kind of MOFs. In this work, a combined grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation and density functional theory calculation is performed on the adsorption of hydrogen in MOF-505, a recently synthesized MOF with open metal sites, to provide insight into molecular-level details of the underlying mechanisms. This work shows that metal-oxygen clusters are preferential adsorption sites for hydrogen, and the strongest adsorption of hydrogen is found in the directions of coordinatively unsaturated open metal sites, providing evidence that the open metal sites have a favorable impact on the hydrogen sorption capacity of MOFs. The storage capacity of hydrogen of MOF-505 at room temperature and moderate pressures is predicted to be low, in agreement with the outcome for hydrogen physisorption in other porous materials.     

沸石吸附储氢研究进展

沸石类微孔材料作为储氢介质的研究已成为近年来储氢领域中备受关注的热点问题,但对于其储氢机理、储氢容量及其影响因素的文献报道不尽一致。本文从吸附实验测定和理论计算模拟方面综述了各种结构类型沸石的吸附储氢的研究结果。重点分析了沸石的结构类型、硅铝比、阳离子类型及吸附实验条件差异对储氢量的影响,并讨论了超临界吸附理论模型的发展状况,最后探讨了沸石作为储氢材料的可行性和发展方向。     

Hydrogen storage in metal-organic frameworks by bridged hydrogen spillover

The possible utilization of hydrogen as the energy source for fuel-cell vehicles is limited by the lack of a viable hydrogen storage system. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) belong to a new class of microporous materials that have recently been shown to be potential candidates for hydrogen storage; however, no significant hydrogen storage capacity has been achieved in MOFs at ambient temperature. Here we report substantially increased hydrogen storage capacities of modified MOFs by using a simple technique that causes and facilitates hydrogen spillover. Thus, the storage of 4 wt % is achieved at room temperature and 100 atm for the modified IRMOF-8. The adsorption is reversible, and the rates are fast. That has made MOFs truly promising for hydrogen storage application.     

Hydrogen physisorption on the organic linker in metal organic frameworks: ab initio computational study

Research for materials offering efficient hydrogen storage and transport has recently received increased attention. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) provide one promising group of materials where several recent advances were reported in this direction. In this computational study ab initio methods are employed to study the physisorption of hydrogen on conjugated systems. These systems are used as models for the organic linker within MOFs. Here, we focus on the adsorption sites related to the organic linker with special attention to the edge site, which was only recently reported to exist as the weakest adsorbing site in MOFs. We also investigate chemically modified models of the organic connector that result in enforcing this adsorption site. This may be crucial for improving the uptake properties of these materials to the goal defined by DOE for efficient hydrogen transport materials.     

分子筛和金属有机骨架材料的工业展望(英文)

Crystalline nanoporous materials serve numerous pivotal functions in industrial chemistry. They provide crucial features for in- dustrial applications, such as high surface area, uniform porosity, inter-connected pore/channel system, accessible pore volume, high adsorp- tion capacity, ion-exchange ability, enhanced catalytic activity, and shape/size selectivity. As a well-established family of nanoporous materi- als, zeolites are of vital importance for the chemical and petrochemical industries. An emerging class of porous materials called metal organic frameworks (MOFs) also offer promise in various applications. Both zeolites and MOFs can play significant roles in fields that are critical for the future of our industrialized society. In the quest for raw material change, zeolites serve as catalysts providing the required shape/size selectivity towards base chemicals. In global efforts to transition into other transportation fuels such as Hydrogen, MOFs serve as the energy storage media. In the fight against environmental pollution, zeolites not only take part in capture and abatement of harmful substances, but also offer environmentally benign alternatives for many industrial processes. In this review, an industrial perspective on the synthesis and utilization of zeolites and MOFs for current and future applications is presented.     

Availability and interconnectivity of pores in mesostructured ZSM-5 zeolites by the adsorption and diffusion of mesitylene

Probing the mesopore architecture in mesoporous zeolites is of importance for large scale applications of the materials. In this work, the adsorption and diffusion of mesitylene with larger molecule size in mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites were carried out, in order to acquaint the availability and interconnectivity of mesopores in zeolite crystals. The comparisons of the shape of adsorption isotherms and the mesopore volume calculated from mesitylene and N₂ adsorption in mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites with different mesoporosities can be used to discriminate two cases of mesopores: accessible mesopores connected to external surface of the zeolite crystals and non-accessible meso-voids that are occluded in the microporous matrix. Furthermore, the effective diffusivity and activation energy of mesitylene in mesoporous ZSM-5 extracted from ZLC desorption curves as a function of mesopore volume calculated from mesitylene adsorption reveal the enhancement of mesopore interconnectivity to molecule diffusion in zeolite crystals.     

金属-有机框架材料在液相催化化学制氢中的研究进展

金属-有机框架(MOFs)材料是由金属簇节点或金属离子与有机配体连接而成的典型的无机-有机杂合物, 作为一类新兴的无机多孔晶态材料, MOFs因具有高度有序的多孔性、 结构可裁剪性、 高比表面积及灵活多变的骨架类型等优点而在工业合成、 能源开发、 环境治理和生物制药等领域展现出广阔的应用前景. 本文从氢能源的开发利用出发, 总结了近年来MOFs基纳米复合材料在催化化学制氢方面的研究进展. 讨论了常见的含氢量高的化学储氢材料, 包括氨硼烷、 甲酸和水合肼等; 催化材料主要有单一MOFs、 MOF基贵金属和非贵金属复合材料及MOF基衍生材料等. 最后, 对MOF基复合材料在液相催化化学储氢中的应用前景进行了展望.     

Hydrogen adsorption on microporous materials at ambient temperatures and pressures up to 50 MPa

High surface area microporous adsorbents are often proposed as potential hydrogen storage materials, although typically at 77?K and less than 5?MPa. In this study, we focus on conditions more suitable for automotive applications by investigating the storage capacities of microporous materials at 298?K and at pressures up to 50?MPa. In an effort to derive trends within and across material classes, we examined a wide range of materials with varying microstructures including the activated carbons AX-21, KUA-5, and MSC-30; a zeolite templated carbon; a hypercrosslinked polymer; and the Metal Organic Frameworks MOF-177, IRMOF-20, MIL-53, ZIF-8, and Cu₃(btc)₂. The peak excess adsorption of these materials ranged from 0.8–1.8?wt.%, although many did not reach their maximum capacity even at high pressures. However, the total volumetric storage gains over compressed hydrogen gas were quite low and, in many cases, negative. In addressing ambient temperature adsorption at significantly higher pressures than previously reported, our data confirms and extends the range of validity of several existing DFT calculations. Furthermore, our data suggest that, for both activated carbons and MOFs, factors other than specific surface area govern ambient temperature adsorption capacity. Contrary to some reports, the high fractions of sub-nanometer pores in some of the investigated MOFs did not appear to enhance the excess adsorption even at high pressures. For on-board applications with ambient temperature storage, significant enhancements to the attractive force at the materials’ surface are required, beyond merely increasing specific surface area, or for MOFs, tuning of pore sizes.     

Reversible Pore Size Control of Elastic Microporous Material by Mechanical Force

Nanoporous materials, such as zeolites, activated carbons, and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), are peculiar platforms in which a variety of guest molecules are stored, reacted, and/or separated. The size of the nanopores is essential to realize advanced functions. In this work, we demonstrate a very simple but innovative method for the control of nanopore size, that is, reversible and continuous control by mechanical force loaded to soft nanoporous materials. The elastic properties of several microporous materials, including zeolites, zeolite‐templated carbon (ZTC), activated carbon, and MOFs (e.g., ZIF‐8), are examined and it is found that ZTC is a material that is suitable for the aforementioned idea thanks to its extraordinary soft properties compared to the others. The original pore size of ZTC (1.2 nm) can be contracted to 0.85 nm by using a relatively weak loading force of 135 MPa, whereas the other microporous materials barely contracted. To demonstrate the change in the physical properties induced by such artificial deformation, in situ gas adsorption measurements were performed on ZTC with and without loading mechanical force, by using CO₂, CH₄, and H₂, as adsorbates. Upon the contraction by loading 69 or 135 MPa, CO₂ adsorption amount is increased, due to the deepening of the physisorption potential well inside the micropores, as proved by the increase of the heat of adsorption. Moreover, the adsorption amount is completely restored to the original one after releasing the mechanical force, indicating the fully reversible contraction/recovery of the ZTC framework against mechanical force. The experimental results are theoretically supported by a simulation using Grand Canonical Monte Carlo method. The similar adsorption enhancement is observed also on CH₄, whereas H₂ is found as an exception due to the weak interaction potential.     

A new zirconium inorganic building brick forming metal organic frameworks with exceptional stability

Porous crystals are strategic materials with industrial applications within petrochemistry, catalysis, gas storage, and selective separation. Their unique properties are based on the molecular-scale porous character. However, a principal limitation of zeolites and similar oxide-based materials is the relatively small size of the pores, typically in the range of medium-sized molecules, limiting their use in pharmaceutical and fine chemical applications. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) provided a breakthrough in this respect. New MOFs appear at a high and an increasing pace, but the appearances of new, stable inorganic building bricks are rare. Here we present a new zirconium-based inorganic building brick that allows the synthesis of very high surface area MOFs with unprecedented stability. The high stability is based on the combination of strong Zr-O bonds and the ability of the inner Zr6-cluster to rearrange reversibly upon removal or addition of mu3-OH groups, without any changes in the connecting carboxylates. The weak thermal, chemical, and mechanical stability of most MOFs is probably the most important property that limits their use in large scale industrial applications. The Zr-MOFs presented in this work have the toughness needed for industrial applications; decomposition temperature above 500 degrees C and resistance to most chemicals, and they remain crystalline even after exposure to 10 tons/cm2 of external pressure.     

Enhanced hydrogen storage capacity of high surface area zeolite-like carbon materials

We report the synthesis of zeolite-like carbon materials that exhibit well-resolved powder XRD patterns and very high surface area. The zeolite-like carbons are prepared via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at 800 or 850 degrees C using zeolite beta as solid template and acetonitrile as carbon precursor. The zeolite-like structural ordering of the carbon materials is indicated by powder XRD patterns with at least two well-resolved diffraction peaks and TEM images that reveal well-ordered micropore channels. The carbons possess surface area of up to 3200 m2/g and pore volume of up to 2.41 cm3/g. A significant proportion of the porosity in the carbons (up to 76% and 56% for surface area and pore volume, respectively) is from micropores. Both TEM and nitrogen sorption data indicate that porosity is dominated by pores of size 0.6-0.8 nm. The carbon materials exhibit enhanced (and reversible) hydrogen storage capacity, with measured uptake of up to 6.9 wt % and estimated maximum of 8.33 wt % at -196 degrees C and 20 bar. At 1 bar, hydrogen uptake capacity as high as 2.6 wt % is achieved. Isosteric heat of adsorption of 8.2 kJ/mol indicates a favorable interaction between hydrogen and the surface of the carbons. The hydrogen uptake capacity observed for the zeolite-like carbon materials is among the highest ever reported for carbon (activated carbon, mesoporous carbon, CNTs) or any other (MOFs, zeolites) porous material.     

分子筛材料在小分子吸附分离中的应用

吸附分离技术与工艺在工业上具有重要意义. 常见的吸附剂包括沸石分子筛、 金属有机框架材料、 活性炭等材料. 分子筛具有比表面积大、 稳定性高、 生产成本低等优势, 可以满足吸附分离技术中高效、 节能和环保的需求, 是一种非常有应用前景的小分子混合物分离吸附剂. 本文综合评述了吸附分离领域中常用的吸附剂材料的特点和吸附分离机理与评价方法, 总结了分子筛在空气分离、 烃类分离、 二氧化碳吸附、 芳香硫化物脱除、 一氧化碳吸附、 氮氧化物吸附、 氢气储存吸附及氢同位素分离等领域的应用, 并对基于分子筛膜的小分子混合物分离现状进行了介绍. 此外, 本文还系统分析了分子筛对不同混合物的吸附分离性能与其拓扑结构、 骨架组成及改性方法之间的关系, 并对未来的研究前景进行了展望.     

Design Rules for Metal-Organic Framework Stability in High-Pressure Hydrogen Environments

Stability of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) under hydrogen is of particular importance for a diverse range of applications, including catalysis, gas separations, and hydrogen storage. Hydrogen in gaseous form is known to be a strong reducing agent and can potentially react with the secondary building units of a MOF and decompose the porous framework structure. Moreover, rapid pressure swings expected in vehicular hydrogen storage could create significant mechanical stresses within MOF crystals that cause partial or complete pore collapse. In this work, we examined the stability of a structurally representative suite of MOFs by testing them under both static (70 MPa) and dynamic hydrogen exposure (0.5 to 10 MPa, 1000 pressure cycles) at room temperature. We aim to provide stability information for development of near room-temperature hydrogen storage media based on MOFs and suggest framework design rules to avoid materials unstable for hydrogen storage under relevant technical conditions.     

Development and evaluation of porous materials for carbon dioxide separation and capture

The development of new microporous materials for adsorption separation processes is a rapidly growing field because of potential applications such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and purification of clean-burning natural gas. In particular, new metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and other porous coordination polymers are being generated at a rapid and growing pace. Herein, we address the question of how this large number of materials can be quickly evaluated for their practical application in carbon dioxide separation processes. Five adsorbent evaluation criteria from the chemical engineering literature are described and used to assess over 40 MOFs for their potential in CO(2) separation processes for natural gas purification, landfill gas separation, and capture of CO(2) from power-plant flue gas. Comparisons with other materials such as zeolites are made, and the relationships between MOF properties and CO(2) separation potential are investigated from the large data set. In addition, strategies for tailoring and designing MOFs to enhance CO(2) adsorption are briefly reviewed.     

DRIFTS Study of Kinetics of Diffusion-Limited Adsorption of Ethane from Mixtures with Hydrogen by Cationic Forms of Zeolites

The diffusion-limited adsorption of individual ethane or of ethane from mixtures with hydrogen by thin pellets of NaA, CaA and LiLSX zeolites or by thick layers of granulated zeolites was studied at room temperature. The rates of adsorption were monitored by development of the bands from the symmetry forbidden C–H stretching vibrations that were not observed for gaseous molecules. Diffusivity of individual ethane in the micropores of the thin NaA pellet obtained by this method is equal to 6 ⋅ 10⁻¹⁶ m²/s. This value agrees well with that one previously reported in literature. For adsorption of pure ethane in the larger primary micro pores of CaA or LiLSX only the lower limits of diffusivities were estimated. Diffusion-limited adsorption of ethane from mixtures with hydrogen by the thicker layers of granulated zeolites is much slower and is limited by counterdiffusion inside much larger channels between the zeolite granules. Estimation of diffusion coefficients of such counterdiffusion indicated that they are by two orders of magnitude lower than those for diffusion in gaseous mixtures of similar composition. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor Wolfgang Schirmer.     

Low-temperature adsorption/storage of hydrogen on FAU, MFI, and MOR zeolites with various Si/Al ratios: effect of electrostatic fields and pore structures

Several zeolites, such as faujasite, mordenite, and ZSM-5, with various aluminum contents have been used to analyze the effect of aluminum or cation concentration (strength of electrostatic field) on hydrogen adsorption at low temperature. Irrespective of the zeolite structure, the adsorption capacity, isosteric heat of adsorption (-DeltaHads), surface coverage, and micropore occupancy increase with increasing aluminum content of a zeolite. Zeolites with a higher amount of aluminum favorably adsorb hydrogen at relatively low pressures. For zeolites with similar aluminum contents, the adsorption capacity, isosteric heat of adsorption, surface coverage, and micropore occupancy are in the order of mordenite>ZSM-5>faujasite, probably due to differing pore sizes and the presence or absence of pore intersections. This work demonstrates that zeolites with strong electrostatic fields and narrow pores without intersections are beneficial for high hydrogen uptake.     

Interaction of Hydrogen with MOF-5

Hydrogen storage is among the most demanding challenges in the hydrogen-based energy cycle. One proposed strategy for hydrogen storage is based on physisorption on high surface area solids such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Within this class of materials, MOF-5 has been the first structure studied for hydrogen storage. The IR spectroscopy of adsorbed H2 performed at 15 K and ab initio calculations show that the adsorptive properties of this material are mainly due to dispersive interactions with the internal wall structure and to weak electrostatic forces associated with O13Zn4 clusters. Calculated and measured binding enthalpies are between 2.26 and 3.5 kJ/mol, in agreement with the H2 rotational barriers reported in the literature. A minority of binding sites with higher adsorption enthalpy (7.4 kJ/mol) is also observed. These species are probably associated with OH groups on the external surfaces present as termini of the microcrystals.     

Molecular dynamics simulations on the effects of diameter and chirality on hydrogen adsorption in single walled carbon nanotubes

We present systematic molecular dynamics simulation studies of hydrogen storage in single walled carbon nanotubes of various diameters and chiralities using a recently developed curvature-dependent force field. Our main objective is to address the following fundamental issues: 1. For a given H2 loading and nanotube type, what is the H2 distribution in the nanotube bundle? 2. For a given nanotube type, what is the maximal loading (H2 coverage)? 3. What is the diameter range and chirality for which H2 adsorption is most energetically favorable? Our simulation results suggest strong dependence of H2 adsorption energies on the nanotube diameter but less dependence on the chirality. Substantial lattice expansion upon H2 adsorption was found. The average adsorption energy increases with the lowering of nanotube diameter (higher curvature) and decreases with higher H2 loading. The calculated H2 vibrational power spectra and radial distribution functions indicate a strong attractive interaction between H2 and nanotube walls. The calculated diffusion coefficients are much higher than what has been reported for H2 in microporous materials such as zeolites, indicating that diffusivity does not present a problem for hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes.