Mechanochemical methods have gained attention in recent years as promising alternatives to traditional solvent-based synthetic routes. Whether by ball milling, manual grinding, or automated mixing using resonating sound waves, mechanical action upon reagents can impart sufficient energy to initiate or promote diverse chemical reactions. In addition, mechanochemistry can be called upon to solve various synthetic challenges: reactions can be performed entirely in the solid state, solvent and energy waste is dramatically reduced, and novel products can be obtained.<br/><br/>Metal-organic materials (MOMs) are one class of material that can be synthesized by mechanochemical ball milling. They are promising candidates in applications such as gas separation and filtration due to their porous and tunable nature. However, typical methods of synthesizing such materials often require lengthy periods of time, large solvent volumes, careful handling, and the use of hazardous metal precursors and organic ligands. By taking advantage of ball milling and liquid-assisted grinding, we were able to synthesize functional materials belonging to the SIFSIX class of MOMs without encountering such issues. We also show that these materials undergo unique, reversible phase transformations between different polymorphs when heated in the solid state. In light of the difficulties associated with conventional solution-based methods, we found solid-state, solvent-free mechanochemical synthesis to be an invaluable tool for the preparation of MOMs.

Mechanochemistry as an alternative approach to the synthesis of porous metal-organic materials

256th National Meeting (2018)

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