Ethylenediamine loading into a manganese-based metal–organic framework enhances water stability and carbon dioxide uptake of the framework

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on 2,5-dihydroxyterepthalic acid (DOBDC) as the linker show very high CO(2) uptake capacities at low to moderate CO(2) pressures; however, these MOFs often require expensive solvent for synthesis and are difficult to regenerate. We have synthesized a Mn-DOBDC MOF and modified it to introduce amine groups into the structure by functionalizing its metal coordination sites with ethylenediamine (EDA). Repeat framework synthesis was then also successfully performed using recycled dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent. Characterization by elemental analysis, FTIR and thermogravimetric studies suggest that EDA molecules are successfully substituting the original metal-bound DMF. This modification not only enhances the material's carbon dioxide sorption capacity, increasing stability to repeated CO(2) sorption cycles, but also improves the framework's stability to moisture. Moreover, this is one of the first amine-modified MOFs that can demonstrably be synthesized using recycled solvent, potentially reducing the future costs of production at larger scales.