Continuous Production of Meso-structured Metal-Organic Frameworks

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are an intriguing class of porous materials with promising applications across energy, environmental, and healthcare sectors. Despite their potential, the large-scale manufacturing of MOFs remains a significant challenge, largely due to the reliance on batch manufacturing methods. These methods often result in products with a wide size distribution, leading to serious operational issues in downstream processes like filtration and drying. Additionally, batch-to-batch variations and the production of nano- to near-micron-sized crystals pose further challenges, particularly in packed bed applications for gas separations. Small-sized MOFs in industrial columns, such as pressure swing adsorption (PSA) units, create higher pressure drops, hindering their ability to operate under industrial conditions (e.g., flue gas, compressed air, higher pressures). In CPM-MOF, we aim to overcome these obstacles by developing a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) based on chemical engineering principles for the continuous manufacturing of mesocrystal versions of MOFs. Mesocrystals, with their hierarchically crystalline structures formed via the oriented attachment of nanocrystals, self-regulate their size during growth. This process results in a product with a relatively larger size and a narrow size distribution, which are easier to handle in downstream operations and produce a lower pressure drop-in PSA units. The development of SOPs will be supported by process analytical technology (PAT) tools and guided by a novel theoretical framework, ensuring precise control over the manufacturing process. CPM-MOF represents a significant innovation, offering a scalable, sustainable, and economically viable solution to the current limitations in MOF manufacturing. The mesoMOFs produced will be rigorously tested for their effectiveness in addressing critical global challenges such as CO2 capture, O2 separation from air, and H2 storage.