Torlon-MOF Composite Films Coated on Cordierite Monoliths and their CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Adsorption Performance

In our previous work we demonstrated immobilization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) on monolithic substrates by various techniques including layer-by-layer + secondary growth and in situ dip coating. Although these earlier methods showed promising results, the MOFs weight loading did not exceed 55 wt%. Here we demonstrate the improvement in coating a thicker film of MOF on the monolith walls using a novel technique that involves pre-seeding MOF powder onto the monolith using a Torlon polymer solution. This coating procedure is not only simpler and eliminates the complexity of previously reported procedures, but also results in higher MOF loadings. Whereas the earlier loading was 52 wt% for Ni-MOF 74 and 55 wt% for UTSA-16, the new loading has been found to be ~73 wt% for Ni-MOF 74 and a maximum of ~80% for UTSA-16. In addition, the substrates treated with this new method have shown improved CO2 capacities with similar kinetics to that of the earlier method. This facile and simple method opens up fascinating possibilities for scalable fabrication of MOF-coated monoliths with different properties tailored to various gas separation applications