Effects of pelletization pressure on the physical and chemical properties of the metal–organic frameworks Cu3(BTC)2 and UiO-66

The metal–organic frameworks CuBTC and UiO-66 were pressed at 1000 and 10,000 psi as a first step to engineering particles for use in toxic chemical removal applications. Materials characterization was conducted on each material using powder X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflectance – Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nitrogen porosimetry. Neither material showed signs of structural degradation during pressing. The CuBTC pressed materials show reduced porosity after pressing, while the UiO-66 surface area remained consistent for all pressed samples. Small-scale breakthrough testing was conducted with CuBTC against ammonia, which probes the reactive sites, and UiO-66 against octane, which probes physical adsorption capacity. Even with the decrease in surface area, the CuBTC materials had consistent ammonia removal capacities, while the UiO-66 pressed materials showed a slight decrease in octane loadings. Data indicate that pressing these MOFs into pellets without a binder is a viable approach to engineering particles in support of filtration and other applications.

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► The metal–organic frameworks CuBTC and UiO-66 were pressed into tablets.
► Materials were crushed and then characterized for differences in properties.
► CuBTC exhibited decreased porosity, but ammonia performance was consistent.
► UiO-66 showed no signs of degradation, but octane performance decreased slightly.
► Pressing without a binder is a feasible approach for MOF preparation.