Protecting metal-organic framework crystals from hydrolytic degradation by spray-dry encapsulating them into polystyrene microspheres.

Many metal-organic frameworks are water labile, including the iconic Hong-Kong University of Science and Technology-1 (HKUST-1). Spray-dry encapsulation of HKUST-1 crystals into polystyrene microspheres is reported here to yield composites that are resistant to water but retain most of the excellent gas sorption capacity of HKUST-1. These composites are demonstrated to exhibit superior water adsorption/desorption cycling, maintaining the level of water uptake even after three cycles.