A Metal-Organic Framework Thin Film for Selective Mg²⁺ Transport

The incompatibility between the anode and the cathode chemistry limits the used of Mg as an anode. This issue may be addressed by separating the anolyte and the catholyte with a membrane that only allows for Mg²⁺ transport. Mg-MOF-74 thin films were used as the separator for this purpose. It was shown to meet the needs of low-resistance, selective Mg²⁺ transport. The uniform MOF thin films supported on Au substrate with thicknesses down to ca. 202 nm showed an intrinsic resistance as low as 6.4 Ω cm² , with the normalized room-temperature ionic conductivity of ca. 3.17×10^-6  S cm^-1 . When synthesized directly onto a porous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) support, the resulting films were used as a standalone membrane to permit stable, low-overpotential Mg striping and plating for over 100 cycles at a current density of 0.05 mA cm^-2 . The film was effective in blocking solvent molecules and counterions from crossing over for extended period of time.