Emerging Materials and Nanotechnology

The Molecular Building Block (MBB) approach is a powerful strategy that permits the fabrication of tailored MOF materials for specific applications. The key factors for development of advanced new materials is the deep understanding of their structural-chemical properties in relationship with their properties in real applications.

 In my talk I will illustrate the power of MBB in the development of tunable platforms with a variety of interesting properties. The perfect structural control at the molecular level of these particular platforms led to the discovery of advanced materials with potential for many gas/vapor separations such as gas storage, H₂S removal, paraffin-branched paraffin separation and air conditioning. In particular, I will discuss the structural properties of separation agents, from the family of MOFs with relation to the CO₂ capture capabilities from ppm level to high concentrations. These properties have direct and/or indirect relation with other attributes such as type of pore (channels, cavities or combination of both), pore size, and energetics…etc. One of the crucial parameter, is the uniformity of suitable adsorption sites over a wide range of CO₂ adsorption loading. Uniform and enough strong CO₂ interaction (adsorption energy level) distribution is one of the strict requirements to ensure maintaining high selectivity over a broad range of CO₂ adsorption loading. This uniform high charge density in addition to narrow pore size (close to CO₂ molecular size) led to unveil, for the first time, a model of MOF adsorbent with a combined mechanism involving optimal thermodynamics (energetics) and kinetics for CO₂ capture at intermediate, low5 and traces6 CO₂ concentration. This unique combination of high and uniform charge density and optimal pore size allowed to push the boundaries of CO₂ energetics to the upper limit of physical reversible adsorption (45-60 kJ/mol) combined with highly favorable CO₂ adsorption kinetics.