Complexity in Order: High-Porosity Multicomponent Metal-Organic Frameworks for Clean Energy Gas Storage

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• High-performance adsorbent materials are crucial for efficient clean energy gas storage.
• Achieving a carbon-neutral energy cycle necessitates advancements in storage technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the reticular synthesis of a novel, high-porosity, and structurally robust metal-organic framework (MOF), tsn-MOF-1.
• To evaluate the gas storage capabilities of tsn-MOF-1 for clean energy applications.

Main Methods:

• Reticular synthesis involving 9-connected metal nodes, 6-connected triptycene carboxylate ligands, and 3-connected pyridine-based ligands.
• Characterization of the MOF's porosity, surface area (5100 m² g⁻¹), and pore volume (2.11 cm³ g⁻¹).
• Assessment of methane and hydrogen working capacities under temperature and pressure swing conditions.

Main Results:

• The synthesized tsn-MOF-1-Fe₃ exhibits high porosity and structural robustness.
• Demonstrated methane working capacity of 365.4 cm³ cm⁻³ (0.688 g g⁻¹) under specific swing conditions.
• Achieved a hydrogen-deliverable capacity of 48.6 g L⁻¹ (11.3 wt %) under related swing conditions.

Conclusions:

• The geometry-directed synthesis strategy enables the creation of high-connectivity, high-porosity MOFs.
• tsn-MOF-1 shows significant potential for low-temperature methane storage and hydrogen storage.
• This work contributes to the development of advanced materials for efficient clean energy gas storage.