Metal-Organic Frameworks

Metal-organic frameworks, sometimes called porous coordination polymers, constitute a large and steadily expanding group of micro- and mesoporous materials. As they bridge the gap between purely organic and inorganic materials, MOFs are exciting materials with a great potential for applications in adsorption, separation, drug delivery, biomedical applications, sensing, catalysis, etc. However, MOFs need to show improvements in stability and performance when compared with other nanoporous materials, particularly those that are already used in industrial applications.

The book Metal-Organic Frameworks: Applications from Catalysis to Gas Storage edited by David Farrusseng, University of Lyon, France, is reviewed by Jiří Čejka, J. Heyrovsky´ Institute of Physical Chemistry, Prague, Czech Republic, who says that:

This book is one of the very first attempts to evaluate the current state of the art in synthesis, structures, properties, and potential applications of MOFs. For this purpose, Farrusseng has brought together a number of excellent researchers from academia and industry, and their contributions cover practically all important areas of current MOFs research.

Probably the most exciting chapters are the two on biomedical applications and on imaging of MOFs. These areas seem to offer the greatest potential for realistic applications of MOFs, since in adsorption, separation, and catalysis there are many well-established competitors such as zeolites, activated carbons, etc.

As the editor explains in the preface, the purpose of this book is to form a critical assessment of the properties of MOFs in relation to process specifications and performance targets. There is no doubt that the book achieves that very well. Personally, however, I regret that there is no separate chapter on the structures of MOFs, as the most exciting properties of MOFs actually stem from the combination of their structural and chemical features. A table presenting the most important and structurally diverse MOFs with their textural properties would be more than welcome. In a similar way, when discussing adsorption or catalytic properties of MOFs, a few tables summarizing the applicability of MOFs in these areas would be very helpful for any reader.

In summary Jiří Čejka thinks that the book definitely is a valuable addition to our steadily increasing knowledge of MOF materials. A broad readership of researchers, including experienced ones as well as newcomers, will certainly benefit from this well-balanced book covering different topics on the chemistry and applications of metal-organic frameworks. “I feel that, especially for students, this book can serve as a primary reference source during their first steps in learning about nanoporous materials in general, and metal-organic frameworks in particular.”