Shedding synchrotron light on MOF-74 formation in aqueous phase

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a versatile class of highly porous crystalline materials, are firmly established as promising performers for applications in catalysis, separations, sensing and more. One of the major challenges in the MOF field is development of scalable, reliable and green synthetic methods to produce high quality MOF materials. Recently reported green ambient temperature syntheses of MOFs in water from metal and ligand salts stand out in their simplicity, rapid nature and industrial attractiveness. However, these methods work only for some MOFs, questioning their broad applicability. In this proposal, we aim to investigate the underlying mechanisms of formation of MOF-74 family materials in aqueous phase in order to shed light on systems’ speciation and processes of nucleation and growth, with larger goals of understanding fundamentals of MOF growth in such systems and developing reliable rapid and green synthetic procedures for numerous MOF families.