As I have stated in the proposal, I will be focusing on the general properties of MOFs before I move on to other variations. This week, I mostly read and researched about MOFs in order to create a solid foundation. Essentially, MOFs are crystallized structures containing bonds between metal ligands (fibers that share electrons with the metal). The chemical bonds create a coordinated structure that has high micro-porosity, which can be used to store large volumes of gas in a small surface area. In addition, I have learned the basic process/idea in growing MOFs. The solution to create a membrane is by mixing dichloride methane (DCM), a polymer such as Poly Vinyl Cennemate (PVCi), and small crystals such as UiO-66 with a sonicator. Then, an electrospinner will contain the solution an draw out small samples and place it on a steel mesh. After the membrane is spun, UV light is shone onto the membrane, which causes the ligand fibers and small MOF crystals to grow. Although I only have a very basic grasp of the process. I hope to learn the more specific details throughout the course of this project.
Some of the research papers I have read are:
"The Hole Story" by Mark Peplow
http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/1.17274!/menu/main/topColumns/topLeftColumn/pdf/520148a.pdf
"Structuring of metal–organic frameworks at the mesoscopic/macroscopic scale" by Shuhei Furukawa, Julien Reboul, Stephane Diring, Kenji Sumida, and Susumu Kitagawa
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262191799_Structuring_of_metal-organic_frameworks_at_the_mesoscopicmacroscopic_scale
MOF positioning technology and device fabrication by Paolo Falcaro, Raffaele Ricco, Cara M. Doherty, Kang Liang, Anita J. Hillb and Mark J. Stylesb
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2014/cs/c4cs00089g#!divAbstract - with this link there is a download option on the right side.
Looking forward to next week, I am going to see how I can use Blender, an 3D Modeling software, to replicate and create still images of different instruments and MOFs. In addition, I will focus on a more specific type of MOFs called flexible MOFs. These crystals have a tendency to bend or twist when exposed to certain types of gases.
Some of the research papers I have read are:
"The Hole Story" by Mark Peplow
http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/1.17274!/menu/main/topColumns/topLeftColumn/pdf/520148a.pdf
"Structuring of metal–organic frameworks at the mesoscopic/macroscopic scale" by Shuhei Furukawa, Julien Reboul, Stephane Diring, Kenji Sumida, and Susumu Kitagawa
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262191799_Structuring_of_metal-organic_frameworks_at_the_mesoscopicmacroscopic_scale
MOF positioning technology and device fabrication by Paolo Falcaro, Raffaele Ricco, Cara M. Doherty, Kang Liang, Anita J. Hillb and Mark J. Stylesb
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2014/cs/c4cs00089g#!divAbstract - with this link there is a download option on the right side.
Looking forward to next week, I am going to see how I can use Blender, an 3D Modeling software, to replicate and create still images of different instruments and MOFs. In addition, I will focus on a more specific type of MOFs called flexible MOFs. These crystals have a tendency to bend or twist when exposed to certain types of gases.
Hello Rohit Kumar,
ReplyDeleteI have a few questions. What are the purpose of MOFs? You said that they have a high micro-porosity. Could you give some real-life applications as to when a high volume of gas needs to be condensed into a small surface area? Also, how much does it cost to create MOFs and are scientists trying to cheapen the process? How new are MOFs?
Thanks,
Rohil
Hi Rohil,
DeleteThe general applications are gas separation and gas storage. When high volumes of gas are exposed to MOFs, the high micro-porosity allows them to absorb the gas molecules. In addition, some MOFs can change their structure by bending or flexing in order to absorb gas molecules. I am trying to simulate the structure changes by using Blender so that they are easier to visualize, so hopefully I can post them soon. One real-life example is gas masks; it can hold a chamber which has MOFs to absorb gas molecules and analyze them to see what chemicals are in the air. As of now, I am not sure how much it costs to create/grow MOFs but I am sure that scientists are trying to cheapen the process of growing MOFs. My professor mentioned that the conception of MOFs was developed in the late 1980s by professors from Hong Kong. Since then, the research on MOFs has grown and there are new discoveries every year, especially focusing on creating MOFs with different materials. For example, one of the MOFs we're growing is UiO-66, which is composed of multiple Zr6O4(OH)4 cores linked with benzoic acid.