Toward understanding reactive adsorption of ammonia on Cu-MOF/graphite oxide nanocomposites

The adsorption of ammonia on HKUST-1 (a metal-organic framework, MOF) and HKUST-1/graphite oxide (GO) composites was investigated in two different experimental conditions. From the isotherms, the isosteric heats of adsorption were calculated from the Clausius-Clapeyron equation following the virial approach. The results on HKUST-1 were compared with those obtained using molecular simulation studies. All materials exhibit higher ammonia adsorption capacities than those reported in the literature. The ammonia adsorption on the composites is higher than that measured separately on the MOF component and on GO. The strong adsorption of ammonia caused by chemical interactions on different adsorption sites is evidenced by the trends in the isosteric heats of adsorption. The molecular simulations conducted on HKUST-1 support the trends observed experimentally. In particular, the strong chemisorption of ammonia on the metallic centers of HKUST-1 is confirmed. Nevertheless, higher adsorption capacities are predicted compared with the experimental results. This discrepancy is mainly assigned to the partial collapse of the MOF structure upon exposure to ammonia, which is not accounted for in the simulation study.