Crystallisation Kinetics of Metal Organic Frameworks From in situ Time-Resolved X-ray Diffraction

A time-resolved powder diffraction study of the crystallisation of porous metal organic framework materials with the CPO-27 structure ([M-2(dhtp)(H2O)(2)]center dot 8H(2)O where, dhtp = 2,5-dioxoterephthalate) using the energy dispersive X-ray diffraction method is described. Crystallisation under solvothermal conditions is performed between 70 - 110 degrees C from clear solutions of metal salts (M = Co2+ or Ni2+) and 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid in a mixture of THF-water in sealed reaction vessels, using both conventional and microwave heating. Integration of Bragg peak areas with time provides accurate crystallisation curves, which are modelled using the method of Gualtieri to determine rate constants for nucleation and for growth and then, by Arrhenius analysis, activation energies. Crystallisation is determined to be one-dimensional, consistent with the elongated morphology of the crystals produced in these reactions. With conventional heating the Co-containing CPO-27 crystallises more rapidly than the isostructural Ni-containing analogue and analysis of the kinetic parameters would suggest a complex multi-step crystallisation process. The effect of microwave heating is upon activation energies: the values for both nucleation and for crystal growth are lowered compared to reactions using conventional heating.