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Remarkable Improvement in the Mechanical Properties and CO 2 Uptake of MOFs Brought About by Covalent Linking to Graphene
Author(s) -
Kumar Ram,
Raut Devaraj,
Ramamurty Upadrasta,
Rao C. N. R.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201603320
Subject(s) - graphene , covalent bond , adsorption , materials science , porosity , mechanical strength , chemical engineering , benzene , metal organic framework , composite material , covalent organic framework , nanotechnology , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are exceptional as gas adsorbents but their mechanical properties are poor. We present a successful strategy to improve the mechanical properties along with gas adsorption characteristics, wherein graphene (Gr) is covalently bonded with M/DOBDC (M=Mg 2+ , Ni 2+ , or Co 2+ , DOBDC=2,5‐dioxido‐1,4‐benzene dicarboxylate) MOFs. The surface area of the graphene–MOF composites increases up to 200–300 m 2 g −1 whereas the CO 2 uptake increases by ca. 3–5 wt % at 0.15 atm and by 6–10 wt % at 1 atm. What is significant is that the composites exhibit improved mechanical properties. In the case of Mg/DOBDC, a three‐fold increase in both the elastic modulus and hardness with 5 wt % graphene reinforcement is observed. Improvement in both the mechanical properties and gas adsorption characteristics of porous MOFs on linking them to graphene is a novel observation and suggests a new avenue for the design and synthesis of porous materials.