(33c) The State of MOF Research Over the Past Decade: Connecting Chemistry With Adsorption Science

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are inorganic-organic hybrids that represent a new direction in porous materials research.  The rich field of coordination chemistry provides a versatile platform from which these materials may be assembled from an almost infinite set of building blocks.  Flexible synthesis techniques could lead to the creation of designer-specific multifunctional materials for a variety of applications.  Research on MOFs began in earnest in the late 1990s/early 2000s, with thousands of new structures reported in a short time.  Compared to synthetic zeolites, which had a discovery-to-commercialization time of ~ 6 years, MOFs have yet to find its niche in the porous materials market.  Major barriers to using MOFs in adsorption applications include (i) stability in the presence of water or acid gases, (ii) broad scale-up synthesis, and (iii) cost of manufacturing.  This talk will discuss these barriers and provide potential solutions that may lead to commercialization of MOFs.