Cu-BTC synthesis, characterization and preparation for adsorption studies

In this study, several samples of Cu-BTC, a member of the MOF adsorbent family, were synthesized following synthesis routes that represent some modifications of published recipes. The effects of mixing, reaction temperature and duration, and concentrations of the precursors on the synthesized samples are discussed. The results showed that pre-mixing of the precursors' solutions, higher dilution of the precursors, and modest reaction duration and temperature gave the most stable sample. The sample stability after several CO2 adsorption-desorption cycles was examined, and the characterization methods: XRD, TGA and SEM were used to describe selected synthesized sample and the commercial one (Basolite® C300). The thermal and mechanical processing effects as well as optimum regeneration temperature and duration were also experimentally determined (423.15 K, 8 h) for both in-house and Basolite® C300 samples.