Session: Fundamental Research in Colloids, Surfaces and Nanomaterials:

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOF) materials are highly versatile, porous materials suitable for a wide-range of applications, including selective storage, transport, and separation of toxic chemicals. Of particular interest, UiO-type MOFs exhibit high thermal and chemical stability enabling interactions with a large variety of chemical functionalities without compromising the MOF structural integrity unlike other porous materials (e.g., porous carbons or zeolites). Using in situ Temperature-Programmed Infrared Spectroscopy (TP-IR), we have determined that the primary interaction of polar solvents with UiO-66 is via hydrogen bonding to the bridging OH groups on the MOF node. In these studies, we seek to develop a fundamental understanding of the interactions of simple polar solvents, such as water and isopropanol, with UiO-66/67 as a necessary first step towards interpreting MOF interactions with more complex systems.

Nathaniel Rosi

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