Green Applications of Rare Earth Metal-Organic Frameworks

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This research program will be centered on (i) the design, synthesis and characterization of novel rare earth metalorganic frameworks (RE-MOFs) and (ii) the application of those RE-MOFs in groundwater and municipal wastewater remediation as well as the sensing of chemical contaminants.******Metalorganic frameworks (MOFs) are hybrid, porous and crystalline materials comprised of inorganic nodes bridged by multitopic organic linkers. The research themes throughout this program focus on the design of RE-MOFs for targeted applications related to water remediation with an emphasis on using RE-MOFs for luminescence sensing and adsorptive removal of contaminants from water. RE-MOFs are of interest due to their high degree of tunability and stability, combined with metal-based luminescence properties - a fusion of properties that makes RE-MOFs different from other MOF families. One specific class of contaminants that will be targeted for removal are pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) which have been identified by Environment Canada as water contaminants of emerging concern. Although the health effects arising from chronic exposure to low levels of these compounds are not yet well understood, there is concern among healthcare professionals that justifies the need for research in this area. ******Given the large libraries of metal ions/clusters and organic linkers to choose from, the structural possibilities of MOFs are nearly endless. MOFs can be designed to have very high surface area and porosity and the size, shape and chemical composition of the pores can be tuned to enable uptake of specific guest molecules. The primary MOF design features that will be systematically varied to enable both sensing and adsorptive removal of PPCPs include (i) metal node connectivity, (ii) pore/aperture size, (iii) chemical functionality of the structural organic linker and (iv) identity of the rare earth metal ion.******A research program will be developed that spans the areas of inorganic, materials, environmental, analytical, and organic chemistry. HQP will be highly interdisciplinary and will gain experience in the synthesis, activation and characterization of MOFs in addition to becoming familiar with analytical methods for testing the suitability of the materials for the aforementioned applications. Perhaps most importantly, team members will gain a deeper understanding of structure-property relationships and design principles most important for each target application.******This research program will be significant for the field of inorganic materials chemistry and more specifically for the field of MOF chemistry as new materials with new building blocks and topologies will be designed, characterized and thoroughly studied. In the long term, the applications of the MOF-based materials will be important for the fields of environmental chemistry and water research in Canada.**