The Design and Development of Monolithic MOFs for Gas Storage and Catalysis Applications

Guest Speaker：Ass.Prof. Tian Tian，The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

Inviter: Assoc.Prof. Zhigang Hu

Date&Time: Saturday, 26 July, 14:00-15:00

Venue:  Meeting Room 106，绝缘楼106会议室

Biography:

Dr Tian Tian is an Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, where he then co-founded Immaterial, a spin-out company specializing in monolithic MOFs. Following this, joined Imperial College London as a postdoctoral researcher before transitioning to his current role at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research focuses on the development of functional porous materials for gas storage and catalysis. He has published 25 papers in Nature Materials, Science Advances, et. and also won the 2024 PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award and 2018 Association of British Turkish Academics (ABTA) Doctoral Researcher Awards Finalist.

Abstract:

The application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their composites has been significantly hidndered by their typical powder form. Traditional shaping and densification methods, such as the mechanical compaction and the use of binders, lead to reduced performance due to pore collapse or blockage. In recent advancements, we have developed a sol-gel method that enables the direct synthesis of densified and mechancially stable MOFs, referred to as monolithic MOFs, without the need for high pressure or binders. The generality of the monolithic MOF synthesis method has been demostrated in our recent work by succesfully developing several monolithic MOFs. Remarkably, one of the monolithic MOFs, momoHKUST-1, is the only material to data has practically acheived the DOE volumetric methane storage target, a significant milestone in gas storage. Futhermore, we have developed monolithic MOF composites, which exhibited improved photocatalytic CO2 conversion efficiency and improved recyclability.