Smart MOFs: applications-based online analysis and optimisation for continuous production of metal organic frameworks

在这个项目中，学生将开发新的分析技术来评估金属有机框架（MOFs）的质量。mof是一种混合微孔固体，具有高表面积和可调谐结构，可用于传感、催化、药物输送和气体储存等多种应用。最近的研究工作着眼于大规模生产mof的工业方法，已经看到它们在流动反应器中生产，这使得大规模生产具有快速合成和高时空产率。然而，他们这样做是“盲目的”，没有在线表征产品的直接机制，因为所有标准方法（XRD， BET， SEM等）都需要耗时的样品制备和离线分析。这是一个很大的问题，因为它妨碍了生产材料时的实时质量保证，并且在开始生产时优化反应条件缓慢且需要大量人工。在这里，我们希望研究一种定性独特的方法来监测MOF质量。由于mof的大多数关键物理性质都难以或不可能在流动中进行分析，因此该项目将开发分析技术，而不是专注于最终应用，开发和实施在线分析仪，量化产品在目标应用（例如催化，传感，吸收等）中的表现，从有机污染修复开始。

In this project the student will develop new analytical technology to assess the quality of metal organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are hybrid microporous solids featuring high-surface areas and tuneable structures, which can be used in a diverse range of applications such as sensing, catalysis, drug delivery, and gas storage. Recent work looking at industrial methods for scalable production of MOFs has seen their production in flow reactors which allow scalable production with rapid synthesis and high space time yields. They do so "blind" however, with no immediate mechanism for characterising the product online, as all standard methods (XRD, BET, SEM etc) need time-consuming sample preparation and offline analysis. This is highly problematic as it precludes real-time quality assurance when producing materials, and optimisation of reaction conditions when starting production is slow and manually intensive. Here we wish to investigate a qualitatively distinct approach to monitoring MOF quality. As most key physical properties of MOFs are prohibitively difficult or impossible to analyse in-flow, this project will develop analysis technology that instead focuses on the end applications, developing and implementing online analysers that quantify how well the product will perform at a target application (e.g. catalysis, sensing, absorption etc), beginning with organic pollution remediation.