Opening the Cages of Faujasite-Type Zeolite.

Zeolites are widely used in industrial processes, mostly as catalysts or adsorbents. Increasing their micropore volume could further improve their already exceptional catalytic and separation performances. We report a tunable extraction of zeolite framework cations (Si, Al) on a faujasite-type zeolite, the archetype of molecular sieves with cages and the most widely used as a catalyst and sorbent; this results in ca.

Recent advances in the textural characterization of hierarchically structured nanoporous materials.

This review focuses on important aspects of applying physisorption for the pore structural characterization of hierarchical materials such as mesoporous zeolites. During the last decades major advances in understanding the adsorption and phase behavior of fluids confined in ordered nanoporous materials have been made, which led to major progress in the physisorption characterization methodology (summarized in the 2015 IUPAC report on physisorption characterization). Here we discuss progress and challenges for the physisorption characterization of nanoporous solids exhibiting various levels of porosity from micro- to macropores.

Combining nitrogen, argon, and water adsorption for advanced characterization of ordered mesoporous carbons (CMKs) and periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs).

Ordered mesoporous CMK carbons and periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials have been characterized by combining nitrogen (77.4 K) and argon (87.3 K) adsorption with recently developed quenched solid density functional theory (QSDFT).

Solvent-tuned hierarchical porosity in nitrocellulose aerogels.

We describe the simple preparation of nitrocellulose gels and high surface area (300 + m(2) g(-1)) aerogels and their hierarchical pore structures. The solvent in which the gels form greatly influences the pore geometry and size distribution of the gels in both the macro- and mesopore domains.

Characterization of the pore structure of three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous carbons using high resolution gas sorption.

The use of colloidal crystals with various primary particle sizes as templates leads to the formation of three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous (3DOm) carbons containing spherical pores with tailorable pore size and extremely high pore volumes. We present a comprehensive structural characterization of these novel carbons by using nitrogen (77.4 K) and argon (87.

Synthesis of self-pillared zeolite nanosheets by repetitive branching.

Hierarchical zeolites are a class of microporous catalysts and adsorbents that also contain mesopores, which allow for fast transport of bulky molecules and thereby enable improved performance in petrochemical and biomass processing. We used repetitive branching during one-step hydrothermal crystal growth to synthesize a new hierarchical zeolite made of orthogonally connected microporous nanosheets. The nanosheets are 2 nanometers thick and contain a network of 0.

CO2-filling capacity and selectivity of carbon nanopores: synthesis, texture, and pore-size distribution from quenched-solid density functional theory (QSDFT).

Porous carbons synthesized by KOH activation of petroleum coke can have high surface areas, over 3000 m(2)/g, and high CO(2) sorption capacity, over 15 wt % at 1 bar. This makes them attractive sorbents for carbon capture from combustion flue gas. Quenched solid density functional theory (QSDFT) analysis of high-resolution nitrogen-sorption data for such materials leads to the conclusion that it is the pores smaller than 1 nm in diameter that fill with high-density CO(2) at atmospheric pressure.

Carbon-based supercapacitors produced by activation of graphene.

Supercapacitors, also called ultracapacitors or electrochemical capacitors, store electrical charge on high-surface-area conducting materials. Their widespread use is limited by their low energy storage density and relatively high effective series resistance. Using chemical activation of exfoliated graphite oxide, we synthesized a porous carbon with a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of up to 3100 square meters per gram, a high electrical conductivity, and a low oxygen and hydrogen content.

Gas and liquid phase adsorption in isostructural Cu3[biaryltricarboxylate]2 microporous coordination polymers.

N-Heteroarene substitution into biphenyl-based linkers enhances the uptake of electron-rich organosulfur molecules in a series of isostructural microporous coordination polymers.

Water stability of microporous coordination polymers and the adsorption of pharmaceuticals from water.

The stability of a variety of microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) to water-containing solutions was studied using powder X-ray diffraction. It was determined that the stability of the MCP is related to the metal cluster present in the structure with trinuclear chromium clusters more stable than copper paddlewheel clusters which are more stable than basic zinc acetate clusters. Zn(2-methylimidizolate)(2) was found to be more water stable than zinc MCPs with carboxylate linkers; however, extended exposure to water led to decomposition of all zinc-based MCPs.

Linker-directed vertex desymmetrization for the production of coordination polymers with high porosity.

Five non-interpenetrated microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) are derived by vertex desymmetrization using linkers with symmetry inequivalent coordinating groups, and these MCPs include properties such as rare metal clusters, new network topologies, and supramolecular isomerism. Gas sorption in polymorphic frameworks, UMCM-152 and UMCM-153 (based upon a copper-coordinated tetracarboxylated triphenylbenzene linker), reveals nearly identical properties with BET surface areas in the range of 3300-3500 m(2)/g and excess hydrogen uptake of 5.7 and 5.

Enabling cleaner fuels: desulfurization by adsorption to microporous coordination polymers.

Microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) are demonstrated to be efficient adsorbents for the removal of the organosulfur compounds dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (DMDBT) from model diesel fuel and diesel fuel. For example, packed bed breakthrough experiments utilizing UMCM-150 find capacities of 25.1 g S/kg MCP for DBT and 24.

Liquid phase adsorption by microporous coordination polymers: removal of organosulfur compounds.

The utility of microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) for the adsorption of large organosulfur compounds (benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene) found in fuels is demonstrated. Large capacities are obtained at both low and high sulfur concentrations. For 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, the compound most difficult to remove using current industrial techniques, a capacity of 41 g S/kg MCP at 1500 ppmw S is achieved by UMCM-150.

Large-periodicity two-dimensional crystals by cocrystallization.

Patterning surfaces with features on the low end of the nanoscale can efficiently be accomplished with physisorbed monolayers. Here, cocrystallization is revealed as a powerful approach toward dramatically increasing the periodicity of surface features and expanding the length scale on which these patterns can form. By variation of the ratio of adsorbates in solution, surface composition can be controlled such that features on the length scale of several molecules are obtained, offering a facile approach to surface nanopatterning.