Direct and efficient Fischer-Tropsch synthesis on a defect-engineered cobalt-incorporated zirconium metal-organic...

A defective metal-organic framework (MOF), UiO-66, was synthesized and functionalized with cobalt cations anchored directly to its Zr-oxo nodes. The resulting material, Co@DUiO-66, acts as a highly active catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis without requiring a pyrolysis step. In contrast to the standard practice of using pyrolyzed MOF derivatives, this work demonstrates the direct use of a metallated MOF for this reaction. Detailed characterization (TGA, DSC, FT-IR, EDX, elemental mapping, FESEM, XRD, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, CHN, TEM, and BET) confirms that the porosity is maintained and that cobalt remains uniformly dispersed at the atomic level. Under industrial conditions (220 °C, 20 bar, GHSV of 2400 mL g_cat ^-1 h^-1), the catalyst achieved a high CO conversion of 82.67%, comparable to other cobalt-MOF derivatives. This high activity results from the unique, site-isolated Co²⁺ centers and the preserved, high-surface-area framework, which together improve catalyst stability and longevity during FT reactions. The direct-use approach removes the energy-heavy pyrolysis step, simplifying production and offering significant economic and industrial benefits. This research introduces a new strategy for designing efficient, site-specific, non-pyrolyzed MOF catalysts for important processes like FT synthesis.