Metal-organic Frameworks:A new Class of Hybrid Materials for Catalytic Application

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline hybrid materials with interesting chemical and physical properties. This thesis is focused on the synthesis and characterization of different MOFs and their applications in heterogeneous catalysis. Metal-organic framework forms a 2-D or 3-D structure with high surface area by connecting metal with ligand and sometimes secondary building blocks. MOFs have got advantages over existing porous materials and zeolite. They have got potential application for separation,gas storage (H2,CH4,N2),sensors,drug delivery,catalysis etc. There is wide scope for MOFs as heterogeneous catalyst since very few studies have reported on catalytic application of MOF. As an explorative study synthesis of various MOFs using different metal precursor and ligand have done based on solvotheraml method except for RMOF-3. 1,4- benzenedicarboxylic acid ligand based five (RMOF-1,RMOF-2,RMOF-5,RMOF-6,RMOF-11),and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid based three( RMOF-3,RMOF-7,RMOF-10)MOFs were synthesized. RMOF-3 was synthesized by crystallization method. Various characterization techniques were applied to study the properties of these MOFs. X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD), BET surface area, differential scanning calorimetry analysis(DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were extensively used. Catalytic studies using MOF materials,as heterogeneous catalysts in organic transformation reactions were performed. Among the eight MOFs were synthesized, four shows catalytic activity (RMOF-1,RMOF-2,RMOF-6,RMOF-7). RMOF-2 and RMOF-7 showed good result for alkylation, acylation reactions.Initial studies on alkylation , acylation reactions were carried out using these MOFs.