Ligand Defect Density Regulation in Metal-Organic Frameworks by Functional Group Engineering on Linkers

Solar-Driven Ammonia Production through Engineering of the Electronic Structure of a Zr-Based MOF

As a hydrogen carrier and a vital component in fertilizer production, ammonia (NH3) is set to play a crucial role in the planet's future. While its industrial production feeds half of the global population, it uses fossil fuels and emits greenhouse gases. To tackle this issue, photocatalytic nitrogen fixation using visible light is emerging as an effective alternative method. This strategy avoids carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and harnesses the largest share of sunlight. In this work, we successfully incorporated a 5-nitro isophthalic acid linker into MOF-808 to introduce structural defects and open metal sites. This has allowed modulation of the electronic structure of the MOF and effectively reduced the band gap energy from 3.8 to 2.6 eV. Combination with g-C3N4 enhanced further NH3 production, as these two materials possess similar band gap energies, and g-C3N4 has shown excellent performance for this reaction. The nitro groups serve as acceptors, and their integration into the MOF structure allowed effective interaction with the free electron pairs on N-(C)3 in the g-C3N4 network nodes. Based on DFT calculations, it was concluded that the adsorption of N2 molecules on open metal sites caused a decrease in their triple bond energy. The modified MOF-808 showed superior performance compared with the other MOFs studied in terms of N2 photoreduction under visible light. This design concept offers valuable information about how to engineer band gap energy in MOF structures and their combination with appropriate semiconductors for solar-powered photocatalytic reactions, such as N2 or CO2 photoreduction.

Structure determines performance: isomeric Ti-MOFs for photocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide

NH2-UiO-66(Ti) and NH2-MIL-125(Ti) were successfully prepared by using post-synthesis exchange (PSE) and hydrothermal methods, and then these frameworks were tested for photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production in pure water under visible light. NH2-MIL-125(Ti) exhibits superior activity compared to NH2-UiO-66(Ti) due to its shorter Ti-O bond. In addition, NH2-MIL-125-D (defective) demonstrates a high photocatalytic yield of hydrogen peroxide owing to the presence of defect-rich titanium rich sites.

Atomic Insights into the Cu Species Supported on Zeolite for Direct Oxidation of Methane to Methanol via Low-Damage HAADF-STEM

Precise determination of the structure-property relationship of zeolite-based metal catalysts is critical for the development toward practical applications. However, the scarcity of real-space imaging of zeolite-based low-atomic-number (LAN) metal materials due to the electron-beam sensitivity of zeolites has led to continuous debates regarding the exact LAN metal configurations. Here, a low-damage high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) imaging technique is employed for direct visualization and determination of LAN metal (Cu) species in ZSM-5 zeolite frameworks. The structures of the Cu species are revealed based on the microscopy evidence and also proved by the complementary spectroscopy results. The correlation between the characteristic Cu size in Cu/ZSM-5 catalysts and their direct oxidation of methane to methanol reaction properties is unveiled. As a result, the mono-Cu species stably anchored by Al pairs inside the zeolite channels are identified as the key structure for higher C1 oxygenates yield and methanol selectivity for direct oxidation of methane. Meanwhile, the local topological flexibility of the rigid zeolite frameworks induced by the Cu agglomeration in the channels is also revealed. This work exemplifies the combination of microscopy imaging and spectroscopy characterization serves as a complete arsenal for revealing structure-property relationships of the supported metal-zeolite catalysts.

Supported Ionic Liquid Catalysts for the Oxidation of S- and N-Containing Compounds—The Effect of Bronsted Sites and Heteropolyacid Concentration

In this article, a series of effective catalysts based on betaine and sulfuric or phosphomolybdic acids was obtained. These compositions were characterized by various physicochemical methods and tested in the oxidation of sulfur- and nitrogenous-containing compounds by H2O2. An increase in the amount of heteropolyacid (HPA) leads to a non-linear change in acidity, and the degree of removal of sulfur-containing compounds correlates with the concentration of Bronsted acid sites on the surface. On the contrary, the degree of pyridine removal is determined primarily by the content of heteropolyacids in the catalyst.

Synergistic Effects of Lewis Acid-Base Pair Sites─Hf-MOFs with Functional Groups as Distinguished Catalysts for the Cycloaddition of Epoxides with CO2

The incorporation of Lewis acid-base sites in catalysts has been considered as a significant approach to fabricating bifunctional catalysts with efficient catalytic activity for CO₂ fixation. In this paper, a series of Hafnium-based metal-organic frameworks (Hf-MOFs), NU-912(Hf) and NU-912-X(Hf)-X (X = -NH₂, -Br, -CN, and -I) derivatives assembled by Lewis acidic Hf₆(μ₃-O)₄(μ₃-OH)₄(H₂O)₄(OH)₄ (Hf₆) clusters and Lewis base-attached organic linkers, are successfully synthesized by a facile ligand functionalization method. These isostructural Hf-MOFs, which exhibit diamond channels of 1.3 nm diameter, great chemical stability, and CO₂ adsorption capacity, have been evaluated as catalysts for the CO₂ cycloaddition reaction with epoxides. Catalytic experiments reveal that the micropore environments of these MOFs have an outstanding impact on catalytic activity. Remarkably, NU-912(Hf)-I serves as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for this catalytic reaction under mild conditions due to the high density of Lewis acid Hf₆ cluster centers and strong Lewis base functional groups, surpassing most of the reported MOF-based catalysts.

Strong Electronic Metal-Support Interaction between Iridium Single Atoms and a WO3 Support Promotes Highly Efficient and Robust CO2 Cycloaddition

The carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) cycloaddition of epoxides to cyclic carbonates is of great industrial importance owing to the high economical values of its products. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have great potential in CO₂ cycloaddition by virtue of their high atom utilization efficiency and desired activity, but they generally suffer from poor reaction stability and catalytic activity arising from the weak interaction between the active centers and the supports. In this work, Ir single atoms stably anchored on the WO₃ support (Ir₁ -WO₃ ) are developed with a strong electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI). Superior CO₂ cycloaddition is realized in the Ir₁ -WO₃ catalyst via the EMSI effect: 100% conversion efficiency for the CO₂ cycloaddition of styrene oxide to styrene carbonate after 15 h at 40 °C and excellent stability with no degradation even after ten reaction cycles for a total of more than 150 h. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the EMSI effect results in significant charge redistribution between the Ir single atoms and the WO₃ support, and consequently lowers the energy barrier associated with epoxide ring opening. This work furnishes new insights into the catalytic mechanism of CO₂ cycloaddition and would guide the design of stable SACs for efficient CO₂ cycloaddition reactions.

Tethering Effects in Oligomer-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be constructed using conventional molecular linkers or polymeric linkers (polyMOFs), but the relationship and relative properties of these related materials remain understudied. As an intermediate between these two extremes, a library of oligomeric ligand precursors (dimers, trimers) was used to prepare a series of oligomeric-linker MOFs (oligoMOFs) based on the prototypical IRMOF-1 system. IRMOF-1 was found to be remarkably tolerant to a wide variety of oligomeric linkers, the use of which greatly enhanced the MOF yield and prevented framework interpenetration. Tether length-dependent ordering of ligand and metal cluster orientations was also observed in these oligoMOFs. Improved low-humidity stability was found in oligoIRMOF-1 samples, with surface area preservation varying as a function of tether length and a complete suppression of crystalline hydrolysis products for all oligoIRMOF-1 materials. These findings pave the way toward a better understanding of the structure-function relationships between monomeric, oligomeric, and polymeric MOFs and highlight an underutilized strategy for tuning MOF properties.

Strategies for induced defects in metal-organic frameworks for enhancing adsorption and catalytic performance

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged among porous materials. The designable structure and specific functionality make them stand out for diverse applications. In conceptual MOF, the metal ions/clusters and organic ligands...