In situ Observation of Nanoscale Dynamic Interfacial Processes and Structural Transformations in Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Gas Storage and Sensing Technologies
EMSL Project ID
49590
Abstract
High-capacity gas storage and separation materials have tremendous potential for applications in alternative energy generation (hydrogen fuel cells) and in environmental and human health protection (carbon sequestration or toxic gas detection/removal). Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of mesoporous nanomaterials, exhibit promising gas-adsorption/release properties and the potential for a broad diversity of different nanostructures/morphologies that can be synthetically (or post-synthetically) designed and produced. However, the mechanisms and kinetics of MOF nanostructure synthesis or post-synthetic modification (PSM), or the gas-storage/release behavior of MOF nanoparticles have not been examined with nanoscale resolution in real-time. To begin systematically designing next-generation gas storage/separation materials we must first develop a fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanisms of both the initial formation, and functional gas-adsorption behavior in current materials on the molecular scale. In situ liquid-cell-, and gas environment-transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM and ETEM) provide unique methods for detailed analysis of dynamic processes in nanomaterial systems, and will be used in this work to study MOF dynamics in liquids or gases, focusing on formation/growth, chemical reactions, and the structural/morphological transformations and gas-sorption ("breathing") of nanocrystals. Expected outcomes include analysis and quantification of growth kinetics, crystal dynamics, and structural evolution during and after reactions, focusing on solvothermal nanoparticle synthesis, metal/ligand-exchange, and gas-adsorption/release. Nucleation rates, growth rates, shape evolution, particle size distribution, particle morphology, and crystal structures will be monitored while dynamic reactions or transformations proceed in controlled environmental conditions. Insight into MOF formation, PSM reactions, and gas-storage behavior will lead to a better understanding of mechanisms and kinetics of these processes, which will provide help enable the controllable design and synthesis, and ultimately bulk-production, of tailored MOF nanomaterials.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2016-10-26
End Date
2017-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator