Bioinspired inhibition of aggregation in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)
Licheng Yu,
Zhihao Nie,
Sicong Xie,
Lili Jiang,
Baokai Xia,
Ming Li,
Chi Cheng,
Jingjing Duan,
Markus Antonietti,
Sheng Chen
Affiliations
Licheng Yu
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Zhihao Nie
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Sicong Xie
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Lili Jiang
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Baokai Xia
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Ming Li
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Chi Cheng
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China; Corresponding author
Jingjing Duan
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China; Corresponding author
Markus Antonietti
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
Sheng Chen
Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China; Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14476 Potsdam, Germany; Corresponding author
Summary: Different from traditional procedures of using solid stabilizers like polymers and surfactants, here we demonstrate that water, as a very “soft” matter, could function as a “spacer” to prevent the aggregation of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in aqueous dispersions. Our theoretical calculations reveal in case of an excess of positively charged metal nodes of MOFs, where water molecules are ligated to metal nodes that greatly enhance MOFs’ solution dispersibility through electrostatic stabilization. This discovery has motivated us to develop a facile experimental approach for producing a category of “clean” MOF dispersions without foreign additives. Potential application has been demonstrated for the size fractionation of MOFs, which results in small-size MOFs (50–80 nm) characteristic of superior electrocatalytic oxygen evolution activities (256 mV at 10 mA cm−2, Tafel slope of 49 mV dec−1 and durability >30 h). This work would provide new clues for aqueous processing of MOFs for many emerging applications.
