High Throughput Microwave Synthesis of Metal Organic Framework (MOF) Libraries

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of new nano-porous materials of considerable academic and industrial interest due to their potential applications in gas storagechiral separations and catalysis. MOFs are prepared from the self-assembly of metal ions (nodes) and organic ligands (spacers), where the structural topology of the resulting crystalline frameworks is driven by the co-ordination preferences of these nodes and spacers. MOFs offer opportunities not available to more classical sorbents such as the aluminosilicate zeolites and activated carbons as their pore sizes and functionality are more readily tuneable. A rapid microwave process for the synthesis of MOFs has been developed and implemented by the Centre for Materials Discovery (CMD), which is over 100 times faster compared to conventional synthesis methods. Libraries of new MOF materials have since been synthesised and characterised using high throughput robotic formulation platforms and analytical equipment.