Selective CO2 adsorption by a triazacyclononane-bridged microporous metal-organic framework

Metal-organic frameworks constructed by self-assembly of metal ions and organic linkers have recently been of great interest in the preparation of porous hybrid materials with a wide variety of functions. Despite much research in this area and the large choice of building blocks used to fine-tune pore size and structure, it remains a challenge to synthesise frameworks composed of polyamines to tailor the porosity and adsorption properties for CO(2). Herein, we describe a rigid and microporous three-dimensional metal-organic framework with the formula [Zn(2)(L)(H(2)O)]Cl (L=1,4,7-tris(4-carboxybenzyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) synthesised in a one-pot solvothermal reaction between zinc ions and a flexible cyclic polyaminocarboxylate. We have demonstrated, for the first time, that a porous rigid framework can be obtained by starting from a flexible amine building block. Sorption measurements revealed that the material exhibited a high surface area (135 m(2) g(-1)) and was the best compromise between capacity and selectivity for CO(2) over CO, CH(4), N(2) and O(2); as such it is a promising new selective adsorbent for CO(2) capture.     

A Triptycene-Based Porous Organic Polymer that Exhibited High Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacities and Excellent CO2/N2 Selectivity

A novel porous organic polymer (POP) has been constructed through the condensation of triptycene tricatechol and 1,3,5‐benzenetris(4‐phenylboronic acid). This triptycene‐based POP exhibited high H₂ uptake (up to 1.84 wt% at 77 K, 1 bar), large CO₂ adsorption capacity (up to 18.1 wt% at 273K, 1 bar), and excellent CO₂/N₂ adsorption selectivity (up to 120/1). The influence of solvent on the gas adsorption performance of the POP has also been investigated.     

CO2 Separation by Imide/Imine Organic Cages

Two novel imide/imine-based organic cages have been prepared and studied as materials for the selective separation of CO₂ from N₂ and CH₄ under vacuum swing adsorption conditions. Gas adsorption on the new compounds showed selectivity for CO₂ over N₂ and CH₄. The cages were also tested as fillers in mixed-matrix membranes for gas separation. Dense and robust membranes were obtained by loading the cages in either Matrimid® or PEEK-WC polymers. Improved gas-transport properties and selectivity for CO₂ were achieved compared to the neat polymer membranes.     

Dimeric Calix[4]resorcinarene-based Porous Organic Cages for CO2/CH4 Separation

Investigating gas separation by emerging porous organic cage(POC) solids is still on its initial stage. In this work, two novel [2+4] organic cages with distinguished structures have been prepared based on the Schiff-based condensation reaction between tetraformyl-functionalized calix[4]resorcinarene building blocks and xylylenediamine(XDA) isomers. Specifically, the use of para-position XDA affords lantern-shaped cage(CPOC-105) with a medium cavity of ca. 0.526 nm³, while the meta-position produces peanut-shaped structure(CPOC-106) with two small cavities of ca. 0.181 nm³. Both CPOC-105 and CPOC-106 exhibit high selectivity capture of CO₂ over CH₄ with calculated selectivity coefficients of 4.5 and 3.1, respectively, under ambient conditions, and are capable of separating CO₂/CH₄ mixtures by fixed-bed column breakthrough experiments.     

Molecular screening of metal-organic frameworks for CO2 storage

We report a molecular simulation study for CO2 storage in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). As compared to the aluminum-free and cation-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolites and carbon nanotube bundle, IRMOF1 exhibits remarkably higher capacity. Incorporation of Na(+) cations into zeolite increases the capacity only at low pressures. By variation of the metal oxide, organic linker, functional group, and framework topology, a series of isoreticular MOFs (IRMOF1, Mg-IRMOF1, Be-IRMOF1, IRMOF1-(NH2)4, IRMOF10, IRMOF13, and IRMOF14) are systematically examined, as well as UMCM-1, a fluorous MOF (F-MOF1), and a covalent-organic framework (COF102). The affinity with CO2 is enhanced by addition of a functional group, and the constricted pore is formed by interpenetration of the framework; both lead to a larger isosteric heat and Henry's constant and subsequently a stronger adsorption at low pressures. The organic linker plays a critical role in tuning the free volume and accessible surface area and largely determines CO2 adsorption at high pressures. As a combination of high capacity and low framework density, IRMOF10, IRMOF14, and UMCM-1 are identified from this study to be the best for CO2 storage, even surpass the experimentally reported highest capacity in MOF-177. COF102 is a promising candidate with high capacity at considerably low pressures. Both gravimetric and volumetric capacities at 30 bar correlate well with the framework density, free volume, porosity, and accessible surface area. These structure-function correlations are useful for a priori prediction of CO2 capacity and for the rational screening of MOFs toward high-efficacy CO2 storage.     

Construction of novel cluster-based MOF as multifunctional platform for CO2 catalytic transformation and dye selective adsorption

Synthetic conditions and ligands are the key structural defining factors of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Therefore, reasonable optimization of these aspects is considered to be an effective means for designing materials with novel structures and target functions. Herein, two novel Co(II)-based MOFs, namely [Co(HL)(dibp)]_n (HL-8) and {[Co₂(L)(OH)(dibp)]·DMA}_n (HL-9) (H₃L = 2′,6′-dimethyl-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3,4′,5-tricarboxylic acid; dibp = 4,4′-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-1,1′-biphenyl]), have been hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. HL-8 crystallizes in the orthorhombic system (Pna2₁) with a grid layer structure, while HL-9 crystallizes in the monoclinic P2₁/n space group assembled through Co₄(OH)₂ clusters with organic ligands. Remarkably, benefiting from the finite cage-like structure, HL-9 exhibited enhanced performance in carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorption/catalytic transformation and excellent size selectivity during dye molecular adsorption process.     

Host–Guest [2+2] Cycloaddition Reaction: Postsynthetic Modulation of CO2 Selectivity and Magnetic Properties in a Bimodal Metal–Organic Framework

Simultaneous tuning of permanent porosity and modulation of magnetic properties by postsynthetic modification (PSM) with light in a metal–organic framework is unprecedented. With the aim of achieving such a photoresponsive porous magnetic material, a 3D photoresponsive biporous framework, MOF1, which has 2D channels occupied by the guest 1,2‐bis(4‐pyridyl)ethylene (bpee), H₂O, and EtOH molecules, has been synthesized. The guest bpee in 1 is aligned parallel to pillared bpee with a distance of 3.9 Å between the ethylenic groups; this allows photoinduced PSM of the pore surface through a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction to yield MOF2. Such photoinduced PSM of the framework structure introduces enhanced CO₂ selectivity over that of N₂. The higher selectivity in MOF2 than that of MOF1 is studied through theoretical calculations. Moreover, MOF2 unveils reversible changes in T_c with response to dehydration–rehydration. This result demonstrates that photoinduced PSM is a powerful tool for fabricating novel functional materials.     

Dynamic porous coordination polymer based on 2D stacked layers exhibiting high sorption selectivity for CO2

A new dynamic porous coordination polymer (PCP) [Ni(dcpy)(bipy)(0.5)(H(2)O)]·1.5H(2)O (1) was synthesized by assembly of 3-(2',5'-dicarboxylphenyl)pyridine (dcpy), 4,4'-bipyridine (bipy) and NiSO(4)via solvothermal, hydrothermal and microwave methods, displaying a wavelike 2D stacked layer framework. Gas adsorption studies for 1 shows a high selective adsorption of CO(2) over other gases (N(2), CH(4) and CO). The adsorption capacity for N(2) can be moderately altered by different activation temperatures demonstrating the framework flexibility of 1.     

Tuning CO2 Uptake and Reversible Iodine Adsorption in Two Isoreticular MOFs through Ligand Functionalization

The synthesis and characterization of two isoreticular metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), {[Cd(bdc)(4‐bpmh)]}_n?2 n(H₂O) ( 1 ) and {[Cd(2‐NH₂bdc)(4‐bpmh)]}_n?2 n(H₂O) ( 2 ) [bdc=benzene dicarboxylic acid; 2‐NH₂bdc=2‐amino benzene dicarboxylic acid; 4‐bpmh=N,N‐bis‐pyridin‐4‐ylmethylene‐hydrazine], are reported. Both compounds possess similar two‐fold interpenetrated 3D frameworks bridged by dicarboxylates and a 4‐bpmh linker. The 2D Cd‐dicarboxylate layers are extended along the a‐axis to form distorted square grids which are further pillared by 4‐bpmh linkers to result in a 3D pillared‐bilayer interpenetrated framework. Gas adsorption studies demonstrate that the amino‐functionalized MOF 2 shows high selectivity for CO₂ (8.4 wt % 273 K and 7.0 wt % 298 K) over CH₄, and the uptake amounts are almost double that of non‐functional MOF 1 . Iodine (I₂) adsorption studies reveal that amino‐functionalized MOF 2 exhibits a faster I₂ adsorption rate and controlled delivery of I₂ over the non‐functionalized homolog 1 .     

Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon Materials Derived from Graphene Oxide/Melamine Resin Composites for CO2 Adsorption

CO₂ adsorption in porous carbon materials has attracted great interests for alleviating emission of post-combustion CO₂. In this work, a novel nitrogen-doped porous carbon material was fabricated by carbonizing the precursor of melamine-resorcinol-formaldehyde resin/graphene oxide (MR/GO) composites with KOH as the activation agent. Detailed characterization results revealed that the fabricated MR(0.25)/GO-500 porous carbon (0.25 represented the amount of GO added in wt.% and 500 denoted activation temperature in °C) had well-defined pore size distribution, high specific surface area (1264 m²·g⁻¹) and high nitrogen content (6.92 wt.%), which was mainly composed of the pyridinic-N and pyrrolic-N species. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that the fabricated MR(0.25)/GO-500 porous carbon delivered excellent CO₂ adsorption ability of 5.21 mmol·g⁻¹ at 298.15 K and 500 kPa, and such porous carbon also exhibited fast adsorption kinetics, high selectivity of CO₂/N₂ and good recyclability. With the inherent microstructure features of high surface area and abundant N adsorption sites species, the MR/GO-derived porous carbon materials offer a potentially promising adsorbent for practical CO₂ capture.     

多孔材料表面修饰聚酰亚胺非对称混合基质膜对CO2/N2和CO2/CH4的气体分离

兼具高通量和高选择性的气体分离膜是研究膜分离材料的目标.采用相转化法制备了聚酰亚胺非对称膜,并将其作为基底膜材料,分别在其表面修饰掺有金属有机框架材料Cu₃(BTC)₂ (1, 3, 5-均苯三甲酸合铜),沸石咪唑酯骨架材料ZIF-8以及镁铝水滑石MgAl-LDHs的聚酰胺酸溶液,经热亚胺化后制成非对称混合基质膜.研究了该系列非对称混合基质膜的结构特性和对CO₂、CH₄和N₂气体分离性能;考察了ZIF-8的掺杂量对非对称混合基质膜透气性能的影响.结果表明非对称聚酰亚胺膜的表面修饰可有效地改变膜的表面性质,掺杂ZIF-8的非对称混合基质膜气体的透气性能和选择性都增加,且掺杂量为5% (w)时CO₂/N₂和CO₂/CH₄的理想选择性分别高达24和83,为合成高效的CO₂分离膜提供了借鉴.     

Borromean-entanglement-driven assembly of porous molecular architectures with anion-modified pore space

A series of metal-organic frameworks based on a flexible, highly charged Bpybc ligand, namely 1?Mn?OH(-), 2?Mn?SO(4)(2-), 3?Mn?bdc(2-), 4?Eu?SO(4)(2-) (H(2)BpybcCl(2) = 1,1'-bis(4-carboxybenzyl)-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride, H(2)bdc = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid) have been obtained by a self-assembly process. Single-crystal X-ray-diffraction analysis revealed that all of these compounds contained the same n-fold 2D→3D Borromean-entangled topology with irregular butterfly-like pore channels that were parallel to the Borromean sheets. These structures were highly tolerant towards various metal ions (from divalent transition metals to trivalent lanthanide ions) and anion species (from small inorganic anions to bulky organic anions), which demonstrated the superstability of these Borromean linkages. This non-interpenetrated entanglement represents a new way of increasing the stability of the porous frameworks. The introduction of bipyridinium molecules into the porous frameworks led to the formation of cationic surface, which showed high affinities to methanol and water vapor. The distinct adsorption and desorption isotherms of methanol vapor in four complexes revealed that the accommodated anion species (of different size, shape, and location) provided a unique platform to tune the environment of the pore space. Measurements of the adsorption of various organic vapors onto framework 1?Mn?OH(-) further revealed that these pores have a high adsorption selectivity towards molecules with different sizes, polarities, or π-conjugated structures.     

Evaluation of the impact of H2O, O2, and SO2 on postcombustion CO2 capture in metal-organic frameworks

Molecular modeling methods are used to estimate the influence of impurity species: water, O(2), and SO(2) in flue gas mixtures present in postcombustion CO(2) capture using a metal organic framework, HKUST-1, as a model sorbent material. Coordinated and uncoordinated water effects on CO(2) capture are analyzed. Increase of CO(2) adsorption is observed for both cases, which can be attributed to the enhanced binding energy between CO(2) and HKUST-1 due to the introduction of a small amount of water. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the binding energy between CO(2) and HKUST-1 with coordinated water is ~1 kcal/mol higher than that without coordinated water. It is found that the improvement of CO(2)/N(2) selectivity induced by coordinated water may mainly be attributed to the increased CO(2) adsorption on the hydrated HKUST-1. On the other hand, the enhanced selectivity induced by uncoordinated water in the flue gas mixture can be explained on the basis of the competition of adsorption sites between water and CO(2) (N(2)). At low pressures, a significant CO(2)/N(2) selectivity increase is due to the increase of CO(2) adsorption and decrease of N(2) adsorption as a consequence of competition of adsorption sites between water and N(2). However, with more water molecules adsorbed at higher pressures, the competition between water and CO(2) leads to the decrease of CO(2) adsorption capacity. Therefore, high pressure operation should be avoided in HKUST-1 sorbents for CO(2) capture. In addition, the effects of O(2) and SO(2) on CO(2) capture in HKUST-1 are investigated: The CO(2)/N(2) selectivity does not change much even with relatively high concentrations of O(2) in the flue gas (up to 8%). A slightly lower CO(2)/N(2) selectivity of a CO(2)/N(2)/H(2)O/SO(2) mixture is observed compared with that in a CO(2)/N(2)/H(2)O mixture, especially at high pressures, due to the strong SO(2) binding with HKUST-1.     

A Porous Polyaromatic Solid for Vapor Adsorption of Xylene with High Efficiency,Selectivity, and Reusability

Development of porous materials capable of capturing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as benzene and its derivatives, with high efficiency, selectivity, and reusability is highly demanded. Here we report unusual vapor adsorption behavior toward VOCs by a new porous solid, composed of a polyaromatic capsule bearing a spherical nanocavity with subnano-sized windows. Without prior crystallization and high-temperature vacuum drying, the porous polyaromatic solid exhibits the following five features: vapor adsorption of benzene over cyclohexane with 90 % selectivity, high affinity toward o-xylene over benzene and toluene with >80 % selectivity, ortho-selective adsorption ability (>50 %) from mixed xylene isomers, tight VOCs storage even under high temperature and vacuum conditions, and at least 5 times reusability for xylene adsorption. The observed adsorption abilities are accomplished at ambient temperature and pressure within 1 h, which has not been demonstrated by organic/inorganic porous materials reported previously.     

Modifying cage structures in metal-organic polyhedral frameworks for H2 storage

Three isostructural metal-organic polyhedral cage based frameworks (denoted NOTT-113, NOTT-114 and NOTT-115) with (3,24)-connected topology have been synthesised by combining hexacarboxylate isophthalate linkers with {Cu(2)(RCOO)(4)} paddlewheels. All three frameworks have the same cuboctahedral cage structure constructed from 24 isophthalates from the ligands and 12 {Cu(2)(RCOO)(4)} paddlewheel moieties. The frameworks differ only in the functionality of the central core of the hexacarboxylate ligands with trimethylphenyl, phenylamine and triphenylamine moieties in NOTT-113, NOTT-114 and NOTT-115, respectively. Exchange of pore solvent with acetone followed by heating affords the corresponding desolvated framework materials, which show high BET surface areas of 2970, 3424 and 3394 m(2) g(-1) for NOTT-113, NOTT-114 and NOTT-115, respectively. Desolvated NOTT-113 and NOTT-114 show high total H(2) adsorption capacities of 6.7 and 6.8 wt%, respectively, at 77 K and 60 bar. Desolvated NOTT-115 has a significantly higher total H(2) uptake of 7.5 wt% under the same conditions. Analysis of the heats of adsorption (Q(st)) for H(2) reveals that with a triphenylamine moiety in the cage wall, desolvated NOTT-115 shows the highest value of Q(st) for these three materials, indicating that functionalisation of the cage walls with more aromatic rings can enhance the H(2)/framework interactions. In contrast, measurement of Q(st) reveals that the amine-substituted trisalkynylbenzene core used in NOTT-114 gives a notably lower H(2)/framework binding energy.     

From Discrete Molecular Cages to a Network of Cages Exhibiting Enhanced CO2 Adsorption Capacity

We have adopted the concept of “cage to frameworks” to successfully produce a Na–N connected coordination networked cage Na‐NC1 by using a [3+6] porous imine‐linked organic cage NC1 (Nanjing Cage 1) as the precursor. It is found that Na‐NC1 exhibits hierarchical porosity (inherent permanent voids and interconnected channel) and gas sorption measurements reveal a significantly enhanced CO₂ uptake (1093 cm³ g⁻¹ at 23 bar and 273 K) than that of NC1 (162 cm³ g⁻¹ under the same conditions). In addition, Na‐NC1 exhibits very low CO₂ adsorption enthalpy making it a good candidate for porous materials with both high CO₂ storage and low adsorption enthalpy.     

Selective gas sorption in a [2+3] 'propeller' cage crystal

A [2+3] organic cage compound based on the condensation reaction of 1,3,5-tri(4-formylphenyl)benzene with 1,5-pentanediamine was synthesized. The resulting porous molecular crystal demonstrates selective adsorption of hydrogen and carbon dioxide over nitrogen. As for porous polymer membranes, a trade-off between sorption capacity and selectivity is observed for materials in this class.     

A homochiral porous organic cage with large cavity and pore windows for the efficient gas chromatography separation of enantiomers and positional isomers

Porous organic cages composed of discrete cage molecules have attracted considerable recent attention as gas adsorption materials and separation media. In this study, we report a homochiral porous organic cage CC5 with a large cavity and pore windows as a novel stationary phase for high‐resolution gas chromatographic separations. The capillary column was prepared by a static coating method. A large number of racemic compounds have been resolved on the coated capillary column, including derivatized amino acids, alcohols, alcohol amines, esters, ethers, ketones, and epoxides. It is interesting that the CC5‐coated capillary column exhibits significant chiral recognition complementarity to a commercial β‐DEX 120 column and a previously reported homochiral porous organic cage CC3‐R‐coated column, which could expand the range of the analytes amenable to separation on porous organic cage‐based capillary columns. Moreover, the fabricated column also shows excellent selectivity for the separation of positional isomers, including the challenging ethylbenzene and xylene isomers. Experimental results demonstrate an excellent separation performance and stability of the CC5‐coated column, making it promising for gas chromatography applications.     

Three-dimensional metal-organic framework with highly polar pore surface: H2 and CO2 storage characteristics

A three-dimensional (3D) pillared-layer metal-organic framework, [Cd(bipy)(0.5)(Himdc)](DMF)](n) (1), (bipy =4,4'-bipyridine and Himdc = 4,5-imidazoledicarboxylate) has been synthesized and structurally characterized. The highly rigid and stable framework contains a 3D channel structure with highly polar pore surfaces decorated with pendant oxygen atoms of the Himdc linkers. The desolvated framework [Cd(bipy)(0.5)(Himdc)](n) (1') is found to exhibit permanent porosity with high H(2) and CO(2) storage capacities. Two H(2) molecules occluded per unit formula of 1' and the corresponding heat of H(2) adsorption (ΔH(H2)) is about ～9.0 kJ/mol. The high value of ΔH(H2) stems from the preferential electrostatic interaction of H(2) with the pendent oxygen atoms of Himdc and aromatic bipy linkers as determined from first-principles density functional theory (DFT) based calculations. Similarly, DFT studies indicate CO(2) to preferentially interact electrostatically (C(δ+)···O(δ-)) with the uncoordinated pendent oxygen of Himdc. It also interacts with bipy through C-H···O bonding, thus rationalizing the high heat (ΔH(CO2) ～ 35.4 kJ/mol) of CO(2) uptake. Our work unveiled that better H(2) or CO(2) storage materials can be developed through the immobilization of reactive hetero atoms (O, N) at the pore surfaces in a metal-organic framework.     

Porous Organic Frameworks-derived Porous Carbons with Outstanding Gas Adsorption Performance

A series of porous carbon materials was synthesized via high temperature pyrolysis from well-defined and thermally stable precursors, namely porous organic frameworks(POFs), in inert atmosphere. The porous carbon materials showed enhanced gas adsorption capacities together with increased heat of adsorption and stronger affinity between the frameworks and the gases as compared to the precursor materials. To exemplify, sample C-POF-TBBP-1000 with a high BET surface area of 1290 m²/g can adsorb 2.8 mmol/g CH₄(273 K, 101.325 kPa), 5.4 mmol/g CO₂(273 K, 101.325 kPa) and 2.2% H₂(mass fraction, 77 K, 101.325 kPa), thereby surpassing most other porous adsorbent materials reported till date. The study highlights the potential of porous carbons derived from novel porous organic framework structures for gas adsorption applications.