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Samer
Abdulridha
,
Rongxin
Zhang
,
Shaojun
Xu
,
Aleksander
Tedstone
,
Xiaoxia
Ou
,
Jiacheng
Gong
,
Boyang
Mao
,
Mark
Frogley
,
Carlo
Bawn
,
Zhaoxia
Zhou
,
Xinran
Zhang
,
Sarayute
Chansai
,
Stuart M.
Holmes
,
Christopher
Hardacre
,
Arthur A.
Garforth
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Yilai
Jiao
,
Xiaolei
Fan
Abstract: We report a low-cost, highly energy efficient microwave-assisted chelation (MWAC) method, which enabled the post-synthetic modification of synthetic zeolites for adopting hierarchical structures within minutes. Exemplified by Zeolite Y, hierarchical Y zeolites prepared in this way showed exceptional specific external surface areas of >300 m2 g−1 and mesopore volumes of >0.46 cm3 g−1. Comparative assessments revealed that developed zeolites have shown significantly improved catalytic activities for catalysis involving large substrates, such as catalytic cracking and hydrocracking of plastics.
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Oct 2020
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B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
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Jiangnan
Li
,
Zhengyang
Zhou
,
Xue
Han
,
Xinran
Zhang
,
Yong
Yan
,
Weiyao
Li
,
Gemma L.
Smith
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Laura J.
Mcormick Mpherson
,
Simon J.
Teat
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Svemir
Rudic
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Alexander J.
Blake
,
Junliang
Sun
,
Martin
Schroeder
,
Sihai
Yang
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[22137]
Open Access
Abstract: Structural transitions of host systems in response to guest binding dominate many chemical processes. We report an unprecedented type of structural flexibility within a meta-rigid material, MFM-520, which exhibits a reversible periodic-to-aperiodic structural transition resulting from a drastic distortion of a [ZnO4N] node controlled by the specific host–guest interactions. The aperiodic crystal structure of MFM-520 has no three-dimensional (3D) lattice periodicity but shows translational symmetry in higher-dimensional (3 + 2)D space. We have directly visualized the aperiodic state which is induced by incommensurate modulation of the periodic framework of MFM-520·H2O upon dehydration to give MFM-520. Filling MFM-520 with CO2 and SO2 reveals that, while CO2 has a minimal structural influence, SO2 can further modulate the structure incommensurately. MFM-520 shows exceptional selectivity for SO2 under flue-gas desulfurization conditions, and the facile release of captured SO2 from MFM-520 enabled the conversion to valuable sulfonamide products. MFM-520 can thus be used as a highly efficient capture and delivery system for SO2.
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Oct 2020
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B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Xiaolin
Li
,
Juehua
Wang
,
Xinran
Zhang
,
Xue
Han
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Christopher G.
Morris
,
Shaojun
Xu
,
Damian M.
Wilary
,
Yinyong
Sun
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Claire A.
Murray
,
Chiu C.
Tang
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Gianfelice
Cinque
,
Tristan
Lowe
,
Haifei
Zhang
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
K. Mark
Thomas
,
Leslie W.
Bolton
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Martin
Schroeder
,
Nannan
Bai
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[13247]
Open Access
Abstract: The demand for xylenes is projected to increase over the coming decades. The separation of xylene isomers, particularly p- and m-xylenes, is vital for the production of numerous polymers and materials. However, current state-of-the-art separation is based upon fractional crystallisation at 220 K which is highly energy intensive. Here, we report the discrimination of xylene isomers via refinement of the pore size in a series of porous metal–organic frameworks, MFM-300, at sub-angstrom precision leading to the optimal kinetic separation of all three xylene isomers at room temperature. The exceptional performance of MFM-300 for xylene separation is confirmed by dynamic ternary breakthrough experiments. In-depth structural and vibrational investigations using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and terahertz spectroscopy define the underlying host–guest interactions that give rise to the observed selectivity (p-xylene < o-xylene < m-xylene) and separation factors of 4.6–18 for p- and m-xylenes.
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Aug 2020
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B23-Circular Dichroism
I19-Small Molecule Single Crystal Diffraction
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Zongsu
Han
,
Kunyu
Wang
,
Yifan
Guo
,
Wenjie
Chen
,
Jiale
Zhang
,
Xinran
Zhang
,
Giuliano
Siligardi
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Zhen
Zhou
,
Pingchuan
Sun
,
Wei
Shi
,
Peng
Cheng
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[20293]
Open Access
Abstract: The integration of luminescence and chirality in easy-scalable metal-organic frameworks gives rise to the development of advanced luminescent sensors. To date, the synthesis of chiral metal-organic frameworks is poorly predictable and their chirality primarily originates from components that constitute the frameworks. By contrast, the introduction of chirality into the pores of metal-organic frameworks has not been explored to the best of our knowledge. Here, we demonstrate that chirality can be introduced into an anionic Zn-based metal-organic framework via simple cation exchange, yielding dual luminescent centers comprised of the ligand and Tb3+ ions, accompanied by a chiral center in the pores. This bifunctional material shows enantioselectivity luminescent sensing for a mixture of stereoisomers, demonstrated for Cinchonine and Cinchonidine epimers and amino alcohol enantiomers, from which the quantitative determination of the stereoisomeric excess has been obtained. This study paves a pathway for the design of multifunctional metal-organic framework systems as a useful method for rapid sensing of chiral molecules.
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Nov 2019
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B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Gemma L.
Smith
,
Jennifer E.
Eyley
,
Xue
Han
,
Xinran
Zhang
,
Jiangnan
Li
,
Nicholas M.
Jacques
,
Harry G. W.
Godfrey
,
Stephen P.
Argent
,
Laura J.
Mccormick Mcpherson
,
Simon J.
Teat
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Gianfelice
Cinque
,
Sarah
Day
,
Chiu C.
Tang
,
Timothy L.
Easun
,
Svemir
Rudic
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Martin
Schroeder
Abstract: Emissions of SO2 from flue gas and marine transport have detrimental impacts on the environment and human health, but SO2 is also an important industrial feedstock if it can be recovered, stored and transported efficiently. Here we report the exceptional adsorption and separation of SO2 in a porous material, [Cu2(L)] (H4L = 4′,4‴-(pyridine-3,5-diyl)bis([1,1′-biphenyl]-3,5-dicarboxylic acid)), MFM-170. MFM-170 exhibits fully reversible SO2 uptake of 17.5 mmol g−1 at 298 K and 1.0 bar, and the SO2 binding domains for trapped molecules within MFM-170 have been determined. We report the reversible coordination of SO2 to open Cu(ii) sites, which contributes to excellent adsorption thermodynamics and selectivities for SO2 binding and facile regeneration of MFM-170 after desorption. MFM-170 is stable to water, acid and base and shows great promise for the dynamic separation of SO2 from simulated flue gas mixtures, as confirmed by breakthrough experiments.
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Oct 2019
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I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Xinran
Zhang
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Rodrigo
Fazzi
,
Alena M.
Sheveleva
,
Xue
Han
,
Ben F.
Spencer
,
Sergey A.
Sapchenko
,
Floriana
Tuna
,
Eric J. L.
Mcinnes
,
Ming
Li
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Martin
Schroder
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[21079]
Open Access
Abstract: We report a comparative study of the binding of I2 (iodine) in a pair of redox-active metal–organic framework (MOF) materials, MFM-300(VIII) and its oxidized, deprotonated analogue, MFM-300(VIV). Adsorption of I2 in MFM-300(VIII) triggers a host-to-guest charge-transfer, accompanied by a partial (∼30%) oxidation of the VIII centers in the host framework and formation of I3– species residing in the MOF channels. Importantly, this charge-transfer induces a significant enhancement in the electrical conductivity (Δσ = 700000) of I2@MFM-300(VIII/IV) in comparison to MFM-300(VIII). In contrast, no host–guest charge-transfer or apparent change in the conductivity was observed upon adsorption of I2 in MFM-300(VIV). High-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction of I2@MFM-300(VIII/IV) confirms the first example of self-aggregation of adsorbed iodine species (I2 and I3–) into infinite helical chains within a MOF.
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Sep 2019
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B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
|
Lei
Li
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Daniil I.
Kolokolov
,
Xue
Han
,
Jiangnan
Li
,
Gemma
Smith
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Luke L.
Daemen
,
Christopher G.
Morris
,
Harry G. W.
Godfrey
,
Nicholas
Jacques
,
Xinran
Zhang
,
Pascal
Manuel
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Claire A.
Murray
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Gianfelice
Cinque
,
Chiu C.
Tang
,
Alexander G.
Stepanov
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Martin
Schroder
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[14564, 15970]
Open Access
Abstract: Modulation of pore environment is an effective strategy to optimize guest binding in porous materials. We report the post-synthetic modification of the charge distribution in a charged metal-organic framework, MFM-305-CH3, [Al(OH)(L)]Cl, [(H2L)Cl = 3,5-dicarboxy-1-methylpyridinium chloride] and its effect on guest binding. MFM-305-CH3 shows a distribution of cationic (methylpyridinium) and anionic (chloride) centers and can be modified to release free pyridyl N-centres by thermal demethylation of the 1-methylpyridinium moiety to give the neutral isostructural MFM-305. This leads simultaneously to enhanced adsorption capacities and selectivities (two parameters that often change in opposite directions) for CO2 and SO2 in MFM-305. The host-guest binding has been comprehensively investigated by in situ synchrotron X-ray and neutron powder diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering, synchrotron infrared and 2H NMR spectroscopy and theoretical modelling to reveal the binding domains of CO2 and SO2 in these materials. CO2 and SO2 binding in MFM-305-CH3 is shown to occur via hydrogen bonding to the methyl and aromatic-CH groups, with a long range interaction to chloride for CO2. In MFM-305 the hydroxyl, pyridyl and aromatic C-H groups bind CO2 and SO2 more effectively via hydrogen bonds and dipole interactions. Post-synthetic modification via dealkylation of the as-synthesised metal-organic framework is a powerful route to the synthesis of materials incorporating active polar groups that cannot be prepared directly.
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Oct 2018
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B22-Multimode InfraRed imaging And Microspectroscopy
I11-High Resolution Powder Diffraction
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Xinran
Zhang
,
Ivan
Da Silva
,
Harry G. W.
Godfrey
,
Samantha K.
Callear
,
Sergey A.
Sapchenko
,
Yongqiang
Cheng
,
Inigo J.
Vitorica-Yrezabal
,
Mark D.
Frogley
,
Gianfelice
Cinque
,
Chiu C.
Tang
,
Carlotta
Giacobbe
,
Catherine
Dejoie
,
Svemir
Rudic
,
Anibal J.
Ramirez-Cuesta
,
Melissa A.
Denecke
,
Sihai
Yang
,
Martin
Schroeder
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[14341, 14938]
Abstract: During the nuclear waste disposal process, radioactive iodine in fission product can be released. The widespread implementation of sustainable nuclear energy thus requires the development of efficient iodine stores that have simultaneously high capacity, stability and more importantly, storage density (and hence minimised system volume). Here, we report high I2 adsorption in a series of robust porous metal-organic materials, MFM-300(M) (M = Al, Sc, Fe, In). MFM-300(Sc) exhibits fully reversible I2 uptake of 1.54 g g-1 and its structure remains completely unperturbed upon inclusion/removal of I2. Direct observation and quantification of the adsorption, binding domains and dynamics of guest I2 molecules within these hosts have been achieved using XPS, TGA-MS, high resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction, pair distribution function analysis, Raman, terahertz and neutron spectroscopy, coupled with density functional theory modelling. These complimentary techniques reveal a comprehensive understanding on the host-I2 and I2-I2 binding interaction at a molecular level. The initial binding site of I2 in MFM-300(Sc), I2I, is located near the bridging hydroxyl group of the [ScO4(OH)2] moiety [I2I···H–O = 2.263(9) Å] with an occupancy of 0.268. I2II is located interstitially between two phenyl rings of neighbouring ligand molecules [I2II···phenyl ring = 3.378(9) and 4.228(5) Å]. I2II is 4.565(2) Å from the hydroxyl group with an occupancy of 0.208. Significantly, at high I2 loading an unprecedented self-aggregation of I2 molecules into triple-helical chains within the confined nano-voids has been observed at crystallographic resolution, leading to a highly efficient packing of I2 molecules with an exceptional I2 storage density of 3.08 g cm-3 in MFM-300(Sc).
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Oct 2017
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