A Fine-Tuned Metal–Organic Framework for Autonomous Indoor Moisture Control

Conventional adsorbents, namely zeolites and silica gel, are often used to control humidity by adsorbing water; however, adsorbents capable of the dual functionality of humidification and dehumidification, offering the desired control of the moisture level at room temperature, have yet to be explored. Here we report Y-shp-MOF-5, a hybrid microporous highly connected rare-earth-based metal–organic framework (MOF), with dual functionality for moisture control within the recommended range of relative humidity (45%–65% RH) set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Y-shp-MOF-5 exhibits exceptional structural integrity, robustness, and unique humidity-control performance, as confirmed by the large number (thousand) of conducted water vapor adsorption–desorption cycles. The retained structural integrity and the mechanism of water sorption were corroborated using in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) studies. The resultant working water uptake of 0.45 g·g–1 is solely regulated by a simple adjustment of the relative humidity, positioning this hydrolytically stable MOF as a prospective adsorbent for humidity control in confined spaces, such as space shuttles, aircraft cabins, and air-conditioned buildings.传统吸附剂，即沸石（zeolites）与硅胶（silica gel），常通过吸附水汽实现湿度调控；然而，能够同时实现增湿与除湿双重功能、可在室温下精准调控湿度水平的吸附剂，仍有待探索。本研究报道了Y-shp-MOF-5——一种杂化微孔高连接稀土基金属有机框架（metal–organic framework, MOF），可在美国采暖、制冷与空调工程师学会（American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, ASHRAE）推荐的相对湿度区间（45%~65% RH）内实现高效湿度调控。Y-shp-MOF-5展现出优异的结构完整性、稳定性与独特的控湿性能，该结论通过上千次水汽吸附-脱附循环实验得到了证实。通过原位单晶X射线衍射（single-crystal X-ray diffraction, SCXRD）测试，研究人员验证了该材料的结构完整性，并阐明了其水汽吸附机制。该材料的有效吸水量可达0.45 g·g⁻¹，仅需通过简单调节相对湿度即可实现精准调控，这使得这款水解稳定性优异的MOF成为航天飞机、飞机客舱与空调建筑等受限空间内湿度调控的潜在吸附候选材料。