Photoresponsive Metal-Organic Frameworks with Light-Dependent Guest Uptake

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Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of microporous crystalline materials made of organic ligands linked to metal nodes, self-assembled to form infinite frameworks with nanoscale pore and channels. These pores and channels are on the same size scale as many small molecules important to life on earth. As such, MOFs have found applications in gas storage, gas separations, catalysis and drug delivery. Photoactive MOFs are a relatively new subfield; photoresponsivity can be achieved by inclusion of a photoactive guest, by post-synthetic modification of an existing framework or by designing framework linkers that are intrinsically photoactive. This project exploits new photoresponsive MOFs that we make and use in our research group to control the flow of small gases of medical and industrial interest into, out of, and within single crystals using photoirradiation. We also have extensive experience of using infrared and Raman microspectroscopy to give information on the dynamic behaviour of guests within MOF single crystals. The combination of novel photoresponsive materials with such advanced spectroscopic techniques is the next step to make, that will elucidate the nanofluidic motion of molecules in these controlled nanospaces. The student will work on all aspects of the research, from making materials through to the advanced characterisation techniques that are required to understand and control their application.