Vol. 1 No. 2

Research article

Environmentally Benign Strategies to the Controlled Crystallization of MOF Sorbents

Published 2026-09-30

  • A.R. Tsyganov
    • ,
  • A.I. Ivanets
    • ,
  • V.V. Pankov
    • ,
  • A.S. Timonenkova
    • ,
  • T.G. Shutova

A.R. Tsyganov
International Institute of Management and Business image/svg+xml

A.I. Ivanets
Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus image/svg+xml

V.V. Pankov


A.S. Timonenkova
Belarusian State University image/svg+xml

T.G. Shutova
Institute of Chemistry of New Materials of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus image/svg+xml

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a vital class of porous materials with ultrahigh surface areas and tunable pore structures, yet conventional synthesis relies on toxic high-boiling organic solvents, hindering large-scale production and violating green chemistry principles.This work explores green aqueous synthesis of MOF sorbents via controlled nucleation and crystal growth. Using zirconium fumarate (MOF-801) as the model, zirconyl chloride-derived samples show optimal crystallinity and water uptake, reaching 470–490 mg g⁻¹ at 96.5–97.5% relative humidity. For aluminum fumarate, a modified aqueous route with controlled ligand addition avoids organic solvents and fluorine-containing reagents entirely.The strategy is extended to MIL-101(Cr) and MOF-199 by tuning crystallization kinetics and separating nucleation/growth stages, yielding highly crystalline porous materials with excellent adsorption performance. These approaches support sustainable MOF production for water purification, atmospheric water harvesting and related applications.

Keywords

MOF, Metal–organic frameworks, Green chemistry, Environmentally benign synthesis, MOF-801, Zirconium fumarate, Aluminum fumarate, MIL-101(Cr), HKUST-1

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