UC Berkeley Chemistry Center for Reticular Chemistry LBNL Molecular Foundry

Recent Highlights
Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs): Promising Applications for Clean Energy Storage and CO2 Capture; New Directions and Places for MOFs

Materials science is currently a fast growing and advancing field of research, especially in the area of crystalline nanoporous materials. Such materials are utilized on a world wide scale in a diverse array of areas including ion-exchange, gas and liquid separation processes and drug delivery. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are the newest family of nanoporous materials, which is receiving massive global research attention.

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Chemistry professor Omar Yaghi, in his own words

In this UCLA Newsroom video, Omar Yaghi talks about his pioneering research - a world of new matter, with exciting applications for clean energy - discusses how he makes discoveries and takes you inside his UCLA laboratory.

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MOFs by BASF- Metal Organic Frameworks on an Industrial Scale

The new BASF-video covering recent progress in MOF development is now available at youtube. You will find the movie following the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ZRhLapO2s

Highlights: Metal-Organic Frameworks

Molecule-Constructed Microporous Materials: Long under Our Noses, Increasingly on Our Tongues, and Now in Our Bellies

Emerging roles for MOFs: Crystalline microporous materials constructed from molecular components have been known for over four decades, and are increasingly utilized in the context of materials design. Recent developments in the field of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) further highlight the roles of design and serendipity at the crossroads of emerging applications for this family of materials, from robust dynamics to food science.

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BASF, company of the year

The slow and steady professionalism of BASF makes it this year's choice.

Click here to read the articl on the C&EN website.

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Metal-organic complex arrays (MOCAs): metals in sequence


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You can also read the article on the C&EN website by clicking here.

Carbon Capture By Solids

Porous Crystals: Study uncovers details of CO-binding sites in framework compounds.

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Metal-Organic Frameworks from Edible Nature Products

Metal-Organic Frameworks from Edible Nature Products, R. A. Smaldone, R. S. Forgan, H. Furukawa, J. J. Gassensmith, A. M. Z. Slawin, O. M. Yaghi, J. F. Stoddart, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2010, 122, 1-6

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Robust dynamics

Robust dynamics, H. Deng, M. A. Olson, J. F. Stoddart, O. M. Yaghi, Nature Chem., 2010, 2, 439 - 443

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Selective Guest Docking in Metal-Organic Framework Materials

The 1990s saw a quest towards synthesizing modular porous materials from metal-containing linker groups and organic molecule struts...

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Multiple Functional Groups of Varying Ratios in Metal-Organic Frameworks

Multiple Functional Groups of Varying Ratios in Metal-Organic Frameworks
H. Deng, C. J. Doonan, H. Furukawa, R. B. Ferreira, J. Towne, C. B. Knobler, B. Wang, O. M. Yaghi, Science, 2010, 327, 5967, 846-850.

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Highly efficient separation of carbon dioxide by a metal-organic framework replete with open metal sites

Researchers have found a compound that can capture and then release carbon dioxide more efficiently than other processes tested to date. Capturing CO2 is critical for purifying natural gas, and for attempts to sequester CO2 to decrease ...

MOFs entering the recognition domain

The host-guest properties of metal-organic frameworks have usually relied on molecular separation by the pore aperture or non-specific binding with the pore walls. Incorporating supramolecular recognition units into the frameworks has now enabled the docking of a specific guest.

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On the industrial applications of MOFs

Instant insight: Nothing but surface

New materials are essential for major breakthrough applications that will influence daily life - just think of the success of semiconductors, without which modern life would be unimaginable.

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Picky MOF crystals show promise from Chemistry World

The use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) so far has largely relied on nonspecific binding interactions to host small molecular guests. We used long organic struts (~2 nanometers) incorporating 34- and 36-membered macrocyclic polyethers as recognition modules in the construction of several crystalline primitive cubic frameworks that engage in specific binding in a way not observed in passive, open reticulated geometries.

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New trick for MOFs from C&EN

Incorporating cyclic polyethers into metal-organic frameworks permits specific binding of organic molecules in the porous materials .

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Chemical Technology Interview: The Beauty of Molecules

Chemical technology news from across RSC Publishing: Omar Yaghi is trying to solve the clean energy problem. Elizabeth Davies investigates.

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The pervasive chemistry of metal-organic frameworks

The pervasive chemistry of metal-organic frameworks, Jeffrey R. Long and Omar M. Yaghi, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2009, 38, 1213 - 1214

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Secondary building units, nets and bonding in the chemistry of metal organic frameworks

This critical review presents a comprehensive study of transition-metal carboxylate clusters which may serve as secondary building units (SBUs) towards construction and synthesis of metal?organic frameworks (MOFs).

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Design of MOFs and intellectual content in reticular chemistry: a personal view

Design of MOFs and intellectual content in reticular chemistry: a personal view

Michael O Keeffe
Department of Chemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.

Email:mokeeffe@asu.edu

First published on the web 19th March 2009Michael O Keeffe

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Molecular Sponges

Is there any limit to the spectacular catalytic and storage abilities of MOFs? Jon Evans investigates, an article in C&EN.

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How UCLA is helping to power the future

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Cleaner Coal

Barring some science-fiction-...

Metal Organic Frameworks: Gas Guzzlers

Metal-organic frameworks prove to have a greater dynamic adsorption capacity than activated carbons for many harmful gases.

Read the article on Nature Chemistry.
Heading to Market with MOFs

For Metal-Organic frameworks, lab-scale research is brisk as commercialization begins.

Read the C&EN article here. (pdf format)

MOFs with high capacity and selectivity for harmful gases

Metal-organic frameworks with high capacity and selectivity for harmful gases, D. Britt, D. Tranchemontagne, O. M. Yaghi, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 2008, 105 (33), 11623-11627

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Reticular Chemistry of Metal-Organic Polyhedra

Reticular Chemistry of Metal-Organic Polyhedra, D. J. Tranchemontagne, Z. Ni, M. O'keeffe, O. M. Yaghi, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed, 2008, 47 (28), 5136-5147

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BASF advertises metal organic frameworks first discovered by Omar Yaghi in the current issue of CE&N

BASF markets different MOF?s invented in the Yaghi Labs under the name Basolite and sells them through Sigma-Adrich Chemicals.

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"Gassing Up with Hydrogen" Researchers are working on ways for fuel-cell vehicles to hold the hydrogen gas they need for long-distance travel

On a late summer day in Paris in 1783, Jacques Charles did something astonishing. He soared 3,000 feet above the ground in a balloon of rubber-coated silk bags filled with lighter-than-air hydrogen gas. Terrified peasants destroyed the balloon soon after it returned to earth, but Charles had launched a quest that researchers two centuries later are still pursuing: to harness the power of hydrogen, the lightest element in the universe, for transportation.

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Bottling Hydrogen in Solids

Basic research yields better hydrogen storage - but the best is yet to come.

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Capturing Carbon and Saving Coal

The technology exists today to build a new generation of coal plants that do not vent CO2.

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Reticular Synthesis of Microporous and Mesoporous 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks

Figure: Co-condensation of boronic acid building blocks (BTBA, BTPA, BPDA) with HHTP to give 2D COFs (COFs-6, -8, and -10) having systematically designed porous structures. COF illustrations are to scale. Coloring scheme: C, gray; H, white; B, orange; O, red.

Reticular chemistry is concerned with linking molecular building blocks into predetermined periodic structures using strong bonds.1 This chemistry has led to the design and synthesis of new porous materials for which the composition, structure, metrics, and functionality can be systematically varied.

to read more, Download the JACS article in PDF format.
Space Invaders

Our research was featured in the Aug. 16, '07 issue of Nature.

Space exploration usually means leaving Earth's orbit. But chemists are now burrowing inside solids to open new vistas. Katharine Sanderson reports from the internal frontier.

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Zeolite A Imidazolate Frameworks

Faujasite (FAU) and zeoliteA(LTA) are technologically important porous zeolites (aluminosilicates) because of their extensive use in petroleum cracking and water softening. Introducing organic units and transition metals into the backbone of these types of zeolite allows us to expand their pore structures, enhance their functionality and access new applications. The invention of metal-organic frameworks and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) has provided materials based on simple zeolite structures where only one type of cage is present.

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Designed synthesis of 3D covalent organic frameworks

Three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COFs) were synthesized by targeting two nets based on triangular and tetrahedral nodes: ctn and bor. The respective 3D COFs were synthesized

Measurement of thermal conductivity of MOF-5

Please view the article in International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer Website.
MOF: A tale of two entanglements

Please view the articles in the Nature Materials Website.
Omar M. Yaghi has been awarded the 2006 Herbert Newby McCoy Award

The McCoy Award for the Greatest Discovery in Chemistry 2006 has been awarded to Omar Yaghi for the development of new microporous Metal-Organic Framework materials (MOFs) that exhibit exceptional uptake of hydrogen gas.

Metal-...
Exceptional chemical and thermal stability of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks

Please visit the article at the website for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
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