Elucidating the structure and the impact of synthesis methods on the flexibility of MIL 88 A (Fe) during water capture

04 June 2025, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

Flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as a new generation of porous materials and are considered for various applications such as sensing, water or gas capture, and water purification. MIL-88 A (Fe) is one of the earliest and most researched flexible MOFs but to date there is a lack in the structural aspects that govern its dynamic behaviour. Here, we report the first crystal structure and investigate the impact of real structure effects on the dynamic behaviour of MIL 88 A (Fe), particularly upon water adsorption. We investigate four differently synthesized materials with powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), THz Raman spectroscopy, and N2-sorption. We probe the very high water vapor sorption capacity by utilizing in situ humidity PXRD and calorimetric cycling studies. We identify at least four different crystallographic phases during the sorption measurements and develop a structural concept and models that explains the changes in the XRD patterns. From this we derive that MIL-88 A (Fe) is an excellent material for a new concept of responsive water harvesting technologies.

Keywords

flexible metal-organic framework
in situ diffraction
THz Raman
water adsorption

Supplementary materials

Title
Description
Actions
Title
Supporting Information
Description
Additonal data to support the findings.
Actions

Comments

Comments are not moderated before they are posted, but they can be removed by the site moderators if they are found to be in contravention of our Commenting Policy [opens in a new tab] - please read this policy before you post. Comments should be used for scholarly discussion of the content in question. You can find more information about how to use the commenting feature here [opens in a new tab] .
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy [opens in a new tab] and Terms of Service [opens in a new tab] apply.