Green Applications of Rare Earth Metal-Organic Frameworks

该研究项目将集中于(i)新型稀土金属有机框架（RE-MOFs）的设计、合成和表征，以及（ii）这些稀土金属有机框架在地下水和城市污水修复中的应用，以及化学污染物的检测。金属有机骨架（mof）是由多主题有机连接剂桥接的无机节点组成的杂化、多孔和结晶材料。整个项目的研究主题集中在设计RE-MOFs，用于与水修复相关的目标应用，重点是使用RE-MOFs进行发光传感和吸附去除水中的污染物。RE-MOFs由于其高度的可调性和稳定性以及金属基发光特性而引起人们的兴趣，这些特性的融合使RE-MOFs不同于其他MOF家族。一个特定的污染物类别将被清除的目标是药品和个人护理产品（PPCPs），它们已被加拿大环境部确定为日益受到关注的水污染物。虽然长期暴露于低水平这些化合物对健康的影响尚未得到很好的了解，但卫生保健专业人员的担忧证明有必要在这一领域进行研究。由于有大量的金属离子/簇和有机连接物可供选择，mof的结构可能性几乎是无穷无尽的。mof可以设计成具有非常高的表面积和孔隙率，并且可以调整孔隙的大小、形状和化学成分，以使特定的客体分子能够被吸收。MOF的主要设计特征将系统地改变，以实现ppcp的传感和吸附去除，包括(i)金属节点连通性，（ii）孔/孔径大小，（iii）结构有机连接剂的化学功能和（iv）稀土金属离子的身份。一个研究计划将被开发，跨越无机，材料，环境，分析和有机化学领域。HQP将是高度跨学科的，除了熟悉测试上述应用中材料适用性的分析方法外，还将获得mof的合成，活化和表征方面的经验。也许最重要的是，团队成员将更深入地了解每个目标应用程序最重要的结构-属性关系和设计原则。该研究项目将对无机材料化学领域，特别是对MOF化学领域具有重要意义，因为将设计、表征和深入研究具有新构建模块和拓扑结构的新材料。从长远来看，mof基材料的应用将对加拿大的环境化学和水研究领域具有重要意义。

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.