skip to main content
IRIS Lab
  • Home
  • Research
    • Chemical Imaging
    • Nanoscale Imaging
    • Metal Organic Frameworks
    • Bio-analytical Microscopy
    • Perovskite solar cells
  • People
    • Dr. Ayanjeet Ghosh
    • Post-Doctoral Associates
    • Graduate Students
    • Undergraduates
  • Publications
  • News
  • Data and Software
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Research
    • Chemical Imaging
    • Nanoscale Imaging
    • Metal Organic Frameworks
    • Bio-analytical Microscopy
    • Perovskite solar cells
  • People
    • Dr. Ayanjeet Ghosh
    • Post-Doctoral Associates
    • Graduate Students
    • Undergraduates
  • Publications
  • News
  • Data and Software
  • Contact

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are functional materials that have applications in catalysis, drug delivery and water purification. MOFs are polymers formed by coordination between metal ions with polydentate organic linkers, producing extended three-dimensional structures with a porous network that can trap adsorbates. The extent and the availability of the porous network of the MOFs are responsible for their efficacy in devices or sensors. Anomalies within the device that restrict the size and availability of pores would render it inefficient. These may arise due to (a) the formation of defects where the linkage between the “metal” and the “organic framework” is disrupted, leading to faulty propagation of the crystal structure over the base template, or (b) coordination of the adsorbed solvent/impurities to the metal centers. Characterization techniques like electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction studies can measure the morphology and crystalline defects in MOFs but are generally insensitive to adsorbates or their chemical identity in MOF pores. Most importantly, structural understanding does not offer insight into the chemistry of MOFs, which is at the heart of their utility.
IR imaging maps the Spatio-chemical heterogeneities in MOFs
​J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2017, 8(21), pp 5325-5330. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02104
Techniques like optical microscopy cannot answer these questions either, but when coupled to infrared, IR imaging lets us see into the chemistry of MOF pores!  Currently, there exists no standard technique that can address these issues and unequivocally ascertain spatial homogeneity, or lack thereof, in MOFs in regard to their sorption properties. Hence, there is an unmet need to examine the MOF structure and sorption chemistry to complement the structural and morphological information on traditional characterization techniques
IR Spectroscopic Imaging of HKUST-1
IR imaging reveals solvation environments in HKUST-1 films

​J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2017, 8 (21), pp 5325–5330. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02104
Picture
Equal Opportunity | UA Disclaimer | Site Disclaimer | Privacy | Copyright © 2018
 The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 | (205) 348-6010
Website provided by the Faculty Resource Center, Office of Information Technology