Nature Materials, Vol.17, No.8, 691-+, 2018
Reversible adsorption of nitrogen dioxide within a robust porous metal-organic framework
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a major air pollutant causing significant environmental(1,2) and health problems(3,4). We report reversible adsorption of NO2 in a robust metal-organic framework. Under ambient conditions, MFM-300(Al) exhibits a reversible NO2 isotherm uptake of 14.1 mmol g(-1), and, more importantly, exceptional selective removal of low-concentration NO2 (5,000 to < 1 ppm) from gas mixtures. Complementary experiments reveal five types of supramolecular interaction that cooperatively bind both NO2 and N2O4 molecules within MFM-300(Al). We find that the in situ equilibrium 2NO(2)<-> N2O4 within the pores is pressure-independent, whereas ex situ this equilibrium is an exemplary pressure-dependent first-order process. The coexistence of helical monomer-dimer chains of NO2 in MFM-300(Al) could provide a foundation for the fundamental understanding of the chemical properties of guest molecules within porous hosts. This work may pave the way for the development of future capture and conversion technologies.