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Enhancement of Growth of MOF MIL‐68(Al) Thin Films on Porous Alumina Tubes Using Different Linking Agents
Author(s) -
PereaCachero Adelaida,
Calvo Pablo,
Romero Enrique,
Téllez Carlos,
Coronas Joaquín
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of inorganic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1099-0682
pISSN - 1434-1948
DOI - 10.1002/ejic.201700302
Subject(s) - chitosan , chemistry , membrane , chemical engineering , porosity , knudsen diffusion , colloid , permeation , zeolite , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , biochemistry , engineering
The preparation of MIL‐68(Al) films on the inner surface of alumina tubes is reported. As the direct deposition of the MOF on bare alumina gives poor adhesion results, three different linking agents are employed to achieve a good MOF–support interaction. Colloidal silica LUDOX®, zeolite silicalite‐1, and natural polysaccharide chitosan are chosen as binders, because they contain potential functional groups (hydroxy, amino, ether), which can establish hydrogen bonds. While colloidal silica leads to noncontinuous MOF layers, silicalite‐1 and chitosan give rise to uniform and well‐anchored films, as confirmed by the different characterization techniques used to study the MOF layer. Single‐gas permeation experiments are carried out to determine the quality and ideal efficiency of the membranes prepared with silicalite‐1 and chitosan. The results for the MIL‐68(Al)/silicalite‐1 membranes evidence the existence of macrodefects. However, no cracks are found when chitosan is used as a linking agent, and the gas flow through the MIL‐68(Al)/chitosan membranes clearly follows Knudsen diffusion.