Reticular Chemistry and Metal-Organic Frameworks for Clean Energy

Reticular chemistry concerns the linking of molecular building blocks into predetermined structures using strong bonds. We have been working on creating and developing the conceptual and practical basis of this new area of research. As a result, new classes of crystalline porous materials have been designed and synthesized: metal-organic frameworks, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, and covalent organic frameworks. Crystals of this type have exceptional surface areas (2,000-6,000 m(2)/g) and take up voluminous amounts of hydrogen (7.5 wt% at 77 K and 3-4 x 10(6) Pa), methane (50 wt% at 298 K and 2.5 x 10(6) Pa), and carbon dioxide (140 wt% at 298 K and 3 x 10(6) Pa). We have driven the basic science all the way to applications without losing sight of our quest for understanding the underlying molecular aspects of this chemistry. The presentation was focused on the design concepts, synthesis, and structure of these materials, with emphasis on their applications to onboard energy storage.