Unlocking the Potential of MOFs as Membranes using Coupled Modeling and Experiments

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

0966582 Scholl This NSF award by the Chemical and Biological Separations Program supports work to advance the use of metal-organic framework materials as the active components in membranes for large-scale chemical separations. Membranes can play an enormous role in energy-efficient chemical separations, but traditional polymeric membranes suffer from a trade-off between selectivity and throughput. The premise of this proposal is that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have enormous promise as membranes for large-scale separations because of their potential for rational design of micropore size, shape, and functionality. Almost nothing is currently known about the performance of MOFs as membranes. Equally importantly, almost nothing is known regarding which of the thousands of MOF materials would be productive to pursue for membrane fabrication. Preliminary modeling work by us and experiments by others have demonstrated, however, that MOFs can be fabricated into membranes and that the performance of these membranes can be predicted under practical operating conditions. This field is poised for rapid growth, and our collaborative team is well positioned to lead this area. The proposed work will use a combination of computational modeling and experimental studies to develop new membranes based on MOFs. This project will create many noteworthy opportunities for education and training. The research efforts will be linked with an innovative high school curriculum being developed in Gwinnett County, GA. The highly interdisciplinary approach will create learning opportunities for a variety of students: K-12, undergraduate, and PhD-level at Georgia Tech, including external undergraduates from underrepresented groups recruited through the SURE program.