Metal-Organic Frameworks as a Potential Platform for Selective Treatment of Gaseous Sulfur Compounds

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2016 Nov 9;8(44):29835-29857. doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b10482. Epub 2016 Oct 25.

Abstract

The release of various anthropogenic pollutants such as gaseous sulfur compounds into the environment has been accelerated as globalization has promoted the production of high-quality products at lower prices. Because of strict enforcement of mitigation technologies, advanced materials have been developed to efficiently remove gaseous sulfur compounds released from various source processes. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials to treat sulfur compounds via adsorption, catalysis, or separation. Nonetheless, the practical applicability of MOFs is limited by a number of factors including loss of structural integrity after use, limited reusability of spent MOFs, and low stability toward omnipresent molecules (e.g., H2O). Here, we provide a comprehensive assessment of MOF technology for the effective control of gaseous sulfur compounds. This review will thus help expand the fields of real-world application for MOFs with a roadmap for this highly challenging area of research.

Keywords: MOF; adsorption; catalysis; postsynthesis; separation; sulfur.