Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Article Nanodomain Control in Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes via Nanomaterial Footprinting
(Wiley, 2023-12-03) Hardian, Rifan; Abdulhamid, Mahmoud. A.; Szekely, Gyorgy; Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center; Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division; Chemical Engineering ProgramCarbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes, fabricated via pyrolysis, are attracting attention owing to their stability under harsh environments, including high temperatures, organic media, and extreme pH. Herein, the fabrication of composite CMS (CCMS) membranes by incorporating sphere-shaped C60(OH) and ellipsoid-shaped C70(OH) fullerenol nanomaterials into intrinsically microporous 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride 3,3′-dimethyl-naphthidine polyimide is reported. The encapsulation of the nanomaterials by the polymer matrix, their chemical footprint, and the variation in the local chemistry of the pyrolyzed membranes are successfully revealed via nanodomain analysis using nano-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The incorporation of fullerenol nanomaterials into CMS membranes can induce the formation of fractional free volume upon pyrolysis, which can translate into molecular sieving enhancement. The effects of the concentration and geometrical shape of the fullerenol nanomaterials are successfully correlated with the membrane separation performance. The CCMS membranes demonstrate excellent stability and pharmaceutical and dye separation performance in organic media. Herein, nanodomain control is pioneered in CCMS membranes via nanomaterial footprinting to induce porosity during pyrolysis and subsequent control molecular sieving performance.
Article Sensing fugitive hydrogen emissions
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-03-14) Cai, Yichen; Chatterjee, Sudipta; Salama, Khaled N.; Li, Lain-Jong; Huang, Kuo-Wei; Chemistry Program, Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering and KAUST Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division; KAUST Solar Center (KSC); Vice President for Research-VPR; Electrical and Computer Engineering Program; Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center; Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) Division; Chemical Science Program; KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC); Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology and Science − Pilani, K.K. Birla Goa Campus, Zuarinagar, India; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P. R. China; Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering and Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment, Singapore, SingaporeFor the transition to a sustainable energy sector, massive hydrogen production and use is crucial. There is growing awareness of a connection between an indirect global warming potential and the production of hydrogen, so its fugitive emissions must be addressed. This Comment emphasizes the need for affordable hydrogen-sensing methods to benefit safety, energy efficiency and the climate.
Article Tunable Crystalline Organic Cage for Selective Sorting of Ortho-Monohalotoluene Isomers
(American Chemical Society (ACS), 2024-03-14) Alimi, Lukman Olawale; Moosa, Basem; Lin, Weibin; Khashab, Niveen M.; Chemical Science Program; Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division; Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research CenterA highly flexible 4,4′-oxybis benzaldehyde-based imine cage (Oba-cage) has selectively adsorbed the ortho-isomer from all other monohalotoluene (X-toluene, X = F, Cl, and Br) isomers with moderate to excellent uptake 52%, 71%, and 93% for ortho-fluorotoluene (oFT), ortho-chlorotoluene (oCT), and ortho-bromotoluene (oBT), respectively. The structural changes demonstrated by the Oba-cage with different solvents appear to favor the discrimination of only the ortho-isomer from other monohalotoluene isomers through host–guest hydrogen bonding interactions. In addition, the uptake of these ortho isomers by the Oba-cage increases with the size of the halogen substituents. We believe that this work provides interesting insights for designing efficient molecular sieves for the selective separation of halo-toluene to lower the high energy bill of these industrial separations.
Article Copper nanoparticles encapsulated in zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 as a stable and selective CO2 hydrogenation catalyst
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-03-06) Velisoju, Vijay Kumar; Cerrillo, Jose L.; Ahmad, Rafia; Mohamed, Hend Omar; Attada, Yerrayya; Cheng, Qingpeng; Yao, Xueli; Zheng, Lirong; Shekhah, Osama; Telalovic, Selvedin; Narciso, Javier; Cavallo, Luigi; Han, Yu; Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Ramos-Fernández, Enrique V.; Castano, Pedro; 1 Multiscale Reaction Engineering, KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials (AMPM) Center, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Advanced Catalytic Materials (ACM), KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC); Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division; Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center; Chemical Science Program; Chemical Engineering Program; Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.; Laboratorio de Materiales Avanzados, Departamento de Química Inorgánica – Instituto Universitario de Materiales de Alicante, Universidad de Alicante, Apartado 99, E-03080 Alicante, SpainMetal–organic frameworks have drawn attention as potential catalysts owing to their unique tunable surface chemistry and accessibility. However, their application in thermal catalysis has been limited because of their instability under harsh temperatures and pressures, such as the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol. Herein, we use a controlled two-step method to synthesize finely dispersed Cu on a zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). This catalyst suffers a series of transformations during the CO2 hydrogenation to methanol, leading to ~14 nm Cu nanoparticles encapsulated on the Zn-based MOF that are highly active (2-fold higher methanol productivity than the commercial Cu–Zn–Al catalyst), very selective (>90%), and remarkably stable for over 150 h. In situ spectroscopy, density functional theory calculations, and kinetic results reveal the preferential adsorption sites, the preferential reaction pathways, and the reverse water gas shift reaction suppression over this catalyst. The developed material is robust, easy to synthesize, and active for CO2 utilization.
Article Leveraging Intermolecular Charge Transfer for High-Speed Optical Wireless Communication
(American Chemical Society (ACS), 2024-03-08) Zhu, Xin; Wang, Yue; Nadinov, Issatay; Thomas, Simil; Gutierrez Arzaluz, Luis; He, Tengyue; Wang, Jian-Xin; Alkhazragi, Omar; Ng, Tien Khee; Bakr, Osman M.; Alshareef, Husam N.; Ooi, Boon S.; Mohammed, Omar F.; Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division; Electrical and Computer Engineering Program; Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) Division; KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC); Material Science and Engineering Program; Chemical Science Program; Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research CenterIntermolecular charge transfer (CT) complexes have emerged as versatile platforms with customizable optical properties that play a pivotal role in achieving tunable photoresponsive materials. In this study, we introduce an innovative approach for enhancing the modulation bandwidth and net data rates in optical wireless communications (OWCs) by manipulating combinations of monomeric molecules within intermolecular CT complexes. Concurrently, we extensively investigate the intermolecular charge transfer mechanism through diverse steady-state and ultrafast time-resolved spectral techniques in the mid-infrared range complemented by theoretical calculations using density functional theory. These intermolecular CT complexes empower precise control over the −3 dB bandwidth and net data rates in OWC applications. The resulting color converters exhibit promising performance, achieving a net data rate of ∼100 Mb/s, outperforming conventional materials commonly used in the manufacture of OWC devices. This research underscores the substantial potential of engineering intermolecular charge transfer complexes as an ongoing progression and commercialization within the OWC. This carries profound implications for future initiatives in high-speed and secure data transmission, paving the way for promising endeavors in this area.