Studies on metal-organic frameworks of Cu(II) with isophthalate linkers for hydrogen storage

Hydrogen (H2) is a promising alternative energy carrier because of its environmental benefits, high energy density, and abundance. However, development of a practical storage system to enable the "Hydrogen Economy" remains a huge challenge. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an important class of crystalline coordination polymers constructed by bridging metal centers with organic linkers. MOFs show promise for H2 storage owing to their high surface area and tuneable properties. In this Account, we summarize our research on novel porous materials with enhanced H2 storage properties and describe frameworks derived from 3,5-substituted dicarboxylates (isophthalates) that serve as versatile molecular building blocks for the construction of a range of interesting coordination polymers with Cu(II) ions. We synthesized a series of materials by connecting linear tetracarboxylate linkers to {Cu(II)2} paddlewheel moieties. These materials exhibit high structural stability and permanent porosity. Varying the organic linker modulates the pore size, geometry, and functionality to control the overall H2 adsorption. Our top-performing material in this series has a H2 storage capacity of 77.8 mg g(-1) at 77 K, 60 bar. H2 adsorption at low, medium, and high pressures correlates with the isosteric heat of adsorption, surface area, and pore volume, respectively. Another series, using tribranched C3-symmetric hexacarboxylate ligands with Cu(II), gives highly porous (3,24)-connected frameworks incorporating {Cu(II)2} paddlewheels. Increasing the length of the hexacarboxylate struts directly tunes the porosity of the resultant material from micro- to mesoporosity. These materials show exceptionally high H2 uptakes owing to their high surface area and pore volume. The first member of this family reported adsorbs 111 mg g(-1) of H2, or 55.9 g L(-1), at 77 K, 77 bar, while at 77 K, 1 bar, the material adsorbs 2.3 wt % H2. We and others have since achieved enhanced H2 adsorption in these frameworks using combinations of polyphenyl groups linked by alkynes. The maximum storage achieved for one of the enhanced materials is 164 mg g(-1) at 77 K, 70 bar, but because of its low density, its volumetric capacity is only 45.7 g L(-1). We attribute the significant adsorption of H2 at low pressures to the arrangement of the {Cu24(isophthalate)24} cuboctahedral cages within the polyhedral structure. Free metal coordination positions are the first binding sites for D2, and these frameworks have two types of Cu(II) centers, one with its vacant site pointing into the cuboctahedral cage and another pointing externally. D2 molecules bind first at the former position and then at the external open metal sites. Design of ligands and complexes is key for enhancing and maximizing H2 storage, and although current materials operate at 77 K, research continues to explore routes to high capacity H2 storage materials that can function at higher temperatures.