Structural Engineering in Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Energy and Environmental Applications

Abstract

The continuous increase in worldwide energy consumption, together with the ongoing release of contaminants into water, pose substantial environmental problems. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) emerged as promising porous crystalline materials due to their unique features, including chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability, high porosity, large surface area, and tunable properties. As a result, MOFs were employed in a wide range of applications such as catalysis, gas storage, separation, drug delivery, and water remediation. A zirconium subfamily of MOFs, namely UiO-66, has gained considerable interest because of its superior chemical and thermal stability compared to other reported MOFs. Besides, it presents the ability to be structurally modified to optimize specific applications without altering the main building blocks and the topology of the framework. Herein, two structural engineering strategies will be used to enhance the adsorption properties of UiO-66, which include (i) linker functionalization and (ii) defect formation. The synthesized isostructural UiO-66 MOFs will be fully characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The first part of the study will be focused on investigating MOFs as adsorbents for water remediation, along with the determination of the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the adsorption phenomenon. This study seeks to understand the function of the different UiO-66-based MOF nanocrystals in the adsorption process, aiming to guide the future development of these materials for water remediation applications. In the second part, structurally tuned Zr-MOFs, and Al-MOFs, both incorporating Lewis acidic sites, will be synthesized, fully characterized, and tested as potential esterification catalysts towards biodiesel additives production. Therefore, we aim to enhance the adsorption and catalytic properties of the selected MOF systems to meet real-world needs for a greener sustainable future.