Shaping Water Adsorption and Desorption in Multivariate Metal-Organic Frameworks for Optimized
Pei-Ru Chen1, Enyu Wu1, Miao-Ting Li1
1State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|August 5, 2026
Summary
New multivariate metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) optimize water sorption for efficient, eco-friendly refrigeration. This breakthrough balances water uptake and desorption, enabling significant energy savings in cooling applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Sustainable Energy
Background:
- Ultralow-temperature-driven water-sorption refrigeration offers an energy-saving, eco-friendly approach for near-zero-carbon cooling.
- Existing water sorbents face challenges where improved water uptake often increases desorption energy, limiting cooling efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a strategy for simultaneously optimizing water adsorption and desorption properties in multivariate metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
- To maximize the cooling efficiency of water-sorption refrigeration systems by fine-tuning MOF properties.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized a series of multivariate MOFs, UiO-66-(BDC)x(PzDC)1-x, by adjusting the ratio of hydrophobic and hydrophilic linkers.
- Investigated the tunability of water uptake at low relative pressure (P/P0 = 0.2) and desorption energy.
- Systematically elucidated water-sorption regulatory mechanisms using water-loaded crystal structures.
Main Results:
- Achieved optimal balance in water adsorption and desorption with UiO-66-(BDC)0.4(PzDC)0.6.
- Demonstrated high water uptake (0.4 g g⁻¹) at P/P0 = 0.2 and a low desorption temperature (63°C).
- Maximized coefficient of performance (0.86) and working capacity (0.18 g g⁻¹) for refrigeration applications, outperforming previous benchmarks.
Conclusions:
- The developed multivariate MOFs offer a promising solution for efficient ultralow-temperature-driven water-sorption refrigeration.
- Simultaneous tuning of adsorption and desorption properties is key to enhancing cooling performance.
- This research paves the way for advanced, sustainable cooling technologies.
