Solvent-Free and Phase-Selective Synthesis of Aluminum Trimesate Metal-Organic Frameworks

Aluminum-based metal-organic frameworks (Al-MOFs) have shown promise as commercially valuable materials due to the variety of applications, excellent thermal, hydrothermal, and chemical stabilities, and the abundance of aluminum. In this work, for the first time, we report the solvent-free synthesis of the aluminum trimesate (Al-BTC) MOFs (MIL-100(Al), MIL-96(Al), and MIL-110(Al)) with phase selectivity and high yield. These MOFs were traditionally prepared with HF, HNO3, and bulk solvents, but these methods struggled to produce pure-phase isolations. The solvent-free strategy provides valuable insight into the future industrial scale-up production of the Al-MOFs and promotes the potential commercialization of such materials.

Automated summary

Aluminum-based metal-organic frameworks (Al-MOFs) have shown promise as commercially valuable materials due to their wide range of applications, excellent thermal and chemical stabilities, and the abundance of aluminum. The solvent-free synthesis method in this study offers valuable insights for future industrial scale-up production of Al-MOFs and promotes their potential commercialization.