Apr 12
Chemistry Department Seminar: Prof. Jeffrey Long
The James D. and Julia P. Morrison Lecture
Departments of Chemistry and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Owing to their high surface areas, tunable pore dimensions, and adjustable surface functionality, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can offer advantages for a variety of gas storage and gas separation applications. In an effort to help curb greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, we are developing new MOFs for use as solid adsorbents in post- and pre-combustion CO2 capture, and for the separation of O2 from air, as required for oxy-fuel combustion. In particular, MOFs with diamine-functionalized metal sites are demonstrated to operate via an unprecedented cooperative insertion mechanism, leading to high selectivities and working capacities for the adsorption of CO2 over N2 under flue gas conditions. Multicomponent adsorption and breakthrough measurements further show these compounds to be effective in the presence of water, while gas adsorption isotherm and temperature swing cycling data reveal low regeneration temperatures compared to aqueous amine solutions. This cooperative mechanism has recently been extended to the selective adsorption of CS2, and a related mechanism has been shown to be operational in alcoholamine-appended MOFs. In addition, a new spin transition mechanism has been demonstrated as a means of achieving cooperative CO adsorption.