Two metal-organic frameworks, Zn-HKUST-1 and ZIF-8, have been synthesized in the presence of dyes and other molecules to determine whether or not small molecular species can be encapsulated with the pore structure of MOFs during synthesis. The goal is to encapsulate a molecular indicator of environment within the pores of a MOF. Molecules such as Rhodamine B, acid-base indicators, and Brooker’s merocyanine have been studied. Powder X-ray diffraction confirms that the molecule-encapsulated MOFs exhibit no change in crystal structure when synthesized in the presence of other molecules. The amount of encapsulated species in the structures has been investigated by UV-Vis and DR-Visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and FT-IR. These analyses show a direct correlation between the amount of molecule in the reaction mixture and the amount encapsulated within the structure.

Encapsulation of molecules in metal-organic frameworks

255th National Meeting (2018)

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