A facile strategy towards a highly accessible and hydrostable MOF-phase within hybrid polyHIPEs through in situ metal-oxide recrystallization

Abstract

HKUST-1(Cu) and MOF-5(Zn)@polyHIPE hybrid materials were prepared using a metal salt-free technique, wherein metal-organic frameworks were in situ generated from the CuO- and ZnO-nanoparticles through secondary recrystallization. The solid-to-MOF transformation has proven to be a feasible and effective technique for preparing MOF@polyHIPE hybrid materials with a high MOF content of more than 75 wt%. The MOF phase within the hybrid polyHIPEs as disclosed herein exhibits superior micropore accessibility, structure hydrostability and durable CO2 adsorption capacity under humid conditions, not achievable with any of the previously reported methods.