Technology
Metal organic frameworks (MOF)
Country
Switzerland
Application in details
Metal organic frameworks (MOF)
Metal-organic frameworks are compounds of metal ions and organic molecules that form structured frameworks. These advanced materials can be compared to sponges that have unique abilities - they are able to absorb, retain and release molecules from their pores.
Metal-organic frameworks with a highly ordered pore structure exhibit the largest surface area per gram known to man - one gram of MOF can have a surface area comparable to a FIFA football pitch. That's up to 7000 m2/g of MOF material. The large surface area offers more room for chemical reactions and adsorption of molecules.
Scalability
The building blocks of the framework - metals and organic linkers can be combined in an almost infinite number of ways to create new materials. Unique structural characteristics can be achieved by tuning the basic materials to suit their specific application. Typically, MOFs outperform other materials by a factor of 10.
MOFs are applicable in many industries: pharmaceuticals, mobile industry and personal computers, automotive, etc.
