Evaluating Solvothermal and Mechanochemical Routes towards the Metal-Organic Framework Mg₂(m-dobdc)

Metal-organic frameworks bearing coordinatively unsaturated Mg(II) sites are promising materials for gas storage, chemical separations, and drug delivery due to their low molecular weights and lack of toxicity. However, there remains a limited number of such MOFs reported in the literature. Herein, we investigate the gas sorption properties of the understudied framework Mg₂(m-dobdc) (dobdc^4- = 4,6-dioxido-1,3-benzenedicarboxylate) synthesized under both solvothermal and mechanochemical conditions. Both materials are found to be permanently porous, as confirmed by 77 K N₂ adsorption measurements. In particular, Mg₂(m-dobdc) synthesized under mechanochemical conditions using exogenous organic base displays one of the highest capacities reported to date (6.14 mmol/g) for CO₂ capture in a porous solid under simulated coal flue gas conditions (150 mbar, 40 °C). As such, mechanochemically synthesized Mg₂(m-dobdc) represents a promising new framework for applications requiring high gas adsorption capacities in a porous solid.