Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous, crystalline materials comprising of metal-based nodes (ions or clusters) bonded to organic linkers via coordination bonds. They possess unique physical and chemical properties, such as high surface area, tunable porosity, fascinating morphologies, catalytic property, etc. [1]. They are of immense interest because these properties can be tuned based on the choice of the metal or organic moiety. They have been widely explored for applications in gas storage, sensing, catalysis, energy storage, and much more [2]. MOF-based nanocomposites and MOF-derived nanomaterials have also been in the forefront of research due to their exciting properties. In this work, MOFs and novel MOF-based nanomaterials have been developed to combat critical issues in applications aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals – (i) hydrogen production by seawater electrolysis, (ii) CO2 capture, (iii) sweat glucose-lactate sensor, and (iv) electrochemical soil nutrient sensor.
In the first section, nanocomposites derived from a modified cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF67) are demonstrated as highly efficient, selective, and corrosion-resistant bifunctional catalysts for alkaline seawater electrolysis. The viability of the catalysts is validated by fabricating a zero-gap seawater electrolyzer prototype. For CO2 capture, Zn-based ZIF (ZIF8)-derived nanocomposites are developed, which displayed high adsorption capacities and remarkable CO2/N2 selectivity. Its practical feasibility is also demonstrated in simulated flue gas conditions. For the third work, a copper-terephthalate MOF is optimized to obtain a sensor capable of detecting glucose and lactate in sweat medium with excellent sensitivity and selectivity. In the last section, Prussian blue analogues are employed to sensitively, selectively, and simultaneously detect the ions corresponding to the N-P-K nutrients in soil.
In this seminar, a brief introduction about MOFs and related nanomaterials, their properties relevant to each application, significance of each application, key results, and mechanisms will be discussed.
Reference:
[1]. Butova, V. V; Soldatov, M.A.; Guda, A.A.; Lomachenko, K.A.; Lamberti, C. Metal-Organic Frameworks : Structure , Properties , Methods of Synthesis and Characterization. Russ. Chem. Rev. 2016, 85, 280–307, doi:10.1070/RCR4554.
[2]. Ghosh, A.; Fathima, T.K.S.; and Ramaprabhu, S. "2D Metal-Organic Frameworks: Properties, Synthesis, and Applications in Electrochemical and Optical Biosensors." Biosensors 2023 13(1), 123.