Rapid, facile synthesis of Fe2+-MOFs in water at ambient conditions

Abstract

The MOF-74 series of materials is known for its promising applications in gas capture and catalysis owing to the high density of open metal sites. Nevertheless, only a few materials are commonly accessible synthetically due to the resource-intensive solvothermal protocols. In this work, an aqueous and facile synthetic process was developed and demonstrated for two Fe-based members of the series. Using a combination of in situ infrared spectroscopy (IR) and high-energy X-ray diffraction (XRD), we shed light on the synthesis parameters and find optimal synthesis conditions for both materials. The synthetic utility of the method has been confirmed by isolating the same materials in the laboratory and by demonstrating the Fe²⁺ oxidation state using NO as a probe molecule.