Continuous-Flow Microwave Synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks: A Highly Efficient Method for Large-Scale Production

Metal-organic frameworks are having a tremendous impact on novel strategic applications, with prospective employment in industrially relevant processes. The development of such processes is strictly dependent on the ability to generate materials with high yield efficiency and production rate. We report a versatile and highly efficient method for synthesis of metal-organic frameworks in large quantities using continuous flow processing under microwave irradiation. Benchmark materials such as UiO-66, MIL-53(Al), and HKUST-1 were obtained with remarkable mass, space-time yields, and often using stoichiometric amounts of reactants. In the case of UiO-66 and MIL-53(Al), we attained unprecedented space-time yields far greater than those reported previously. All of the syntheses were successfully extended to multi-gram high quality products in a matter of minutes, proving the effectiveness of continuous flow microwave technology for the large scale production of metal-organic frameworks.