Inter-cluster-linker-absence-enabled sub-Ångstrom pore modulation in a metal-organic framework for multi-scenario CO₂...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Precise control over adsorbent pore size is crucial for effective carbon capture.
• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable structures but achieving sub-Ångstrom precision remains challenging.
• Existing methods often lack the fine-tuning capability required for complex gas mixtures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel strategy for sub-Ångstrom pore modulation in MOFs.
• To investigate the impact of inter-cluster linker absence on pore size and CO2 adsorption.
• To evaluate the performance of the developed MOFs in multi-scenario carbon capture applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a coordination bond transitivity approach in MOF synthesis to eliminate inter-cluster linkers.
• Synthesized SNNU-98-M materials using [M8(TAZ)9] (M = Cd or Cu, TAZ = tetrazolate) triangular prism clusters.
• Characterized the pore size, structure, and CO2 adsorption properties of the synthesized MOFs.

Main Results:

• Successfully modulated MOF pore sizes to approximately 5.5 Å (SNNU-98-Cd) and 5.1 Å (SNNU-98-Cu) through linker removal.
• Demonstrated that the strategy effectively transfers coordination bond length differences to pore dimensions.
• Achieved benchmark CO2 capture performance across binary, ternary, and quinary gas mixtures.

Conclusions:

• The inter-cluster-linker-absence strategy enables precise sub-Ångstrom pore control in MOFs.
• SNNU-98-M materials exhibit excellent and adaptable CO2 capture capabilities for various industrial gas streams.
• SNNU-98-Cu is highlighted as a practical, stable, and scalable carbon capture material with top-tier performance.