Abstract

Highly porous zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely studied as materials for sorption and destruction of chemical warfare agents (CWAs). It is important to understand the diffusion of CWAs, their reaction products, and environmental molecules through MOFs to utilize these materials for protection against CWA threats. As a first step toward this goal, we study adsorption and diffusion of acetone in pristine UiO-66. We have chosen to study UiO-66 because it has been demonstrated to be effective for destruction of CWAs and simulants; we use acetone because it is a prototypical polar organic molecule small enough to be expected to diffuse fairly rapidly through nondefective UiO-66. We specifically examine the impact of framework flexibility and hydrogen bonding between acetone and the OH groups on the nodes of the framework on the diffusivity of acetone. We find that inclusion of flexibility is essential for meaningful predictions of diffusion of acetone. We have identified the dynamics of the three linkers making up the triangular window between adjacent pores as the critical factor in controlling diffusion of acetone. We demonstrate from experiments and first-principles calculations that acetone readily hydrogen bonds to UiO-66 framework OH groups. We have modified the classical potential for UiO-66 to accurately model the framework–acetone hydrogen bonds, which are not accounted for in many MOF potentials. We find that hydrogen bonding decreases the diffusivity by about 1 order of magnitude at low loading and about a factor of 3 at high loading. Thus, proper accounting of hydrogen bonding and framework flexibility are both critical for obtaining physically realistic values of diffusivities for acetone and similar-sized polar molecules in UiO-66.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.