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Updated: Dec 17, 2025

A Microfluidic Approach for the Study of Ice and Clathrate Hydrate Crystallization
Published on: August 18, 2022
Combustible ice mimicking behavior of hydrogen-bonded organic framework at ambient condition
Yang Wang1, Xudong Hou1, Congyan Liu1
1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Fujian Institute of Innovation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.
Abstract:
Adsorption of guest molecules by porous materials proceeds in a spontaneous exothermic way, whereas desorption usually requires external energy input as an endothermic process. Reducing such energy consumption makes great sense in practice. Here we report the reversible and automatic methanol (MeOH) adsorption/release in an ionic hydrogen-bonded organic framework (iHOF) constructed from guanidinium cation and borate anion ([B(OCH3)4]3[C(NH2)3]4Cl•4CH3OH, termed Gd-B) at ambient condition. The metastable Gd-B automatically releases all sixteen MeOH molecules (63.4 wt%) via desorption and tetra-methyl borate hydrolysis at ambient atmosphere and the structure can be recovered when re-exposed to MeOH vapor or liquid, mimicking combustible ice behavior but at ambient condition. Reversible capture/release of four guest MeOH molecules is also realized without destroying its crystal structure. The combustible Gd-B paves a way for exploring metastable iHOF materials as carrier for alternative energy source and drug delivery etc.
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