Researchers have found a way to grow a wonder material that could do wonders for Earth

Researchers at the University of Virginia’s College of Engineering and Applied Science have discovered how to take a wonder material, one capable of extracting value from trapped carbon dioxide, and do what no one else has: make it practical to manufacture for widespread use.

A breakthrough by chemical engineering assistant professor Gaurav “Gin” Giri’s lab group has implications for cleaning up greenhouse gases, which are a major contributor to the climate change dilemma. It could also help solve the world’s energy needs.

The substance, called MOF-525, belongs to a class of materials called metal-organic frameworks.

“If you can make these MOFs cover large areas, then new applications become possible, such as making a membrane for carbon capture and electrocatalytic conversion, all in one system,” Giri said.

Electrocatalytic conversion creates a bridge between renewable energy sources and direct chemical synthesis, taking the burning of carbon dioxide-producing fossil fuels out of the equation.

What gives MOFs their superpowers are their ultra-porous, crystalline structures—3D networks of tiny nanoscale cavities that create a vast internal surface area and behave like a sponge—that can be designed to trap all kinds of chemical compounds.

The ultimate solution

Giri’s group felt that starting with an inherently scalable synthesis technique—solution shear—would improve their prospects. They have already had success in shearing simpler MOFs.

In Giri’s process, the MOF components are mixed in solution and then spread over the substrate with a cutting blade. As the solution evaporates, the chemical bonds form the MOF as a thin film on the substrate. Application of MOF-525 in this manner produces a comprehensive membrane for carbon capture and conversion.

“The bigger the membrane, the more surface area you have for reaction and the more product you can get,” said Prince Verma, a December 2023 Ph.D. graduate of Giri’s lab. “With this process, you can increase the width of the clipper blade to whatever size you want.”

The team targeted the CO₂ conversion to demonstrate their approach to shear solutions as carbon capture is widely used to reduce industrial emissions or remove it from the atmosphere—but at a cost to operators with minimal return on investment: carbon dioxide has little commercial value and is most often stored indefinitely underground.

However, with minimal energy input, by using electricity to catalyze the reaction, MOF-525 can take away an oxygen atom to form carbon monoxide—a chemical that is valuable for making fuels, drugs and other products.

The researchers published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society Applied materials and interfaces. Connor A. Koellner, Hailey Hall, Meagan R. Phister, Kevin H. Stone, Asa W. Nichols, Ankit Dhakal, and Earl Ashcraft also contributed to this paper.