Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of highly porous, crystalline, solid-state materials, have promised to advance applications in gas storage, catalysis and beyond. At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, we are exploring MOFs for separations of noble gases and other critical important elements. Specifically, we have demonstrated the removal Xenon with high adsorption capacity and selectivity and have developed magnetic core-shell microspheres to extract a range of rare-earth elements from aqueous and brine solutions. Additionally, we have probed the fundamental processes governing nucleation and growth to effectively target the desired physicochemical properties. In this presentation, we will discuss recent developments towards separation of these critically important elements, as well as discuss the impact additives have on the pathway toward a particular crystalline framework. <i>In situ </i>experiments have revealed the presence of an intermediate in the growth of a well-known, and well-characterized MOF, allowing us to probe for structural relationships and gain insights into one of the variables critical to engineering a porous material.

Engineered porous materials: Growth and separation of noble gases and critical materials

2019 Fall National Meeting

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