MOF ZIF-8 makes a promising candidate, with strong structural characteristics, for heterogeneous applications.
Among the varieties of ZIFs, ZIF-8 is an exceptional material because of its structural, chemical and thermal stability. Zeolite-type tetrahedral nets of ZIF-8 are built of tetrahedral atoms of zinc, which are connected by 2-methylimidazole linkers. Compared to other ZIFs, ZIF-8 has larger pores (11.6 Å or 1.16 nm) which are accessible through small apertures of 3.4 Å (0.34 nm), a surface area of 1947 m2/g and a pore volume of 0.663 cm3/g. The product also exhibits excellent thermal stability up to 550 °C.[1] CAS 59061-53-9 Strem 30-4015: Zinc 2-methylimidazole MOF ZIF-8
Building monomeric unit of ZIF-8
There are many potential applications for ZIF-8. Given its high porosity, this material can be used for storage of natural gas (where methane is a major constituent) and alkane separation from CO2 in the petrochemical industry.[2-3] In addition, there are reports of it as a catalyst (Knoevenagel reaction), or as a catalyst support for metal nanoparticles.[4] Also check out Strem Chemicals' website for more Metal Organic Frameworks offered by Strem.
References:
1. Exceptional chemical and thermal stability of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks Park K S et al. PNAS 2006;103,10186-10191
2. (a) Separation of xylene isomers Micropor. Mesopor. Mat., 2013, 173, 1; (b) Separation of C6 Paraffins Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2012, 51, 4692; (c) Effective separation of propylene/propane binary mixtures J. Membrane Sci., 2012, 93, 390.
3. (a) MOF-containing mixed-matrix membranes for CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 binary gas mixture separations, Sep. Purif. Technol., 2011, 81, 31. (b) Porous polyethersulfone-supported Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Membranes for hydrogen separation J. Phys.Chem. C., 2012, 116, 13264.
4. (a) Catalytic activity of ZIF-8 in the synthesis of styrene carbonate, Chem. Commun., 2013, 32, 36.; (b) Iridium nanoparticles stabilized by metal organic frameworks: synthesis, structural properties and catalytic performance Dalton Trans., 2012, 41, 12690; (c) Zeolitic imidazole frameworks: Catalysts in the conversion of carbon dioxide to chloropropene carbonate, ACS Catalysis, 2012, 2, 180; (d) Expanding applications of metal-organic frameworks: zeolite imidazolate framework ZIF-8 as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the Knoevenagel reaction, ACS Catalysis, 2011, 1, 120.
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