Luminescence and Magentism in Lanthanide MOFs
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Chemistry
Abstract
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials comprised of metal clusters connected by organic ligands into three dimensional structures. The networked assemblies can often stabilise multinuclear metal clusters which otherwise would not assemble in discrete single systems, and we have recently isolated MOFs linked by unprecedented Ln3 and Ln4 clusters. The project will aim to synthesise MOFs with a range of new clusters through control of linker length and geometry, and characterise the magnetic properties of these new clusters. Additionally, the presence of multiple lanthanides suggests that the materials could have applications as small molecule sensors by monitoring solid-state photoluminescence behaviour in the presence of different guests.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509668/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1943651 | Studentship | EP/N509668/1 | 01/10/2017 | 01/10/2021 | Alexander Thom |
| Description | Initially this work aimed to create sensors that could detect harmful molecules in solution at very low concentrations by tracking the change in the luminescence of the sensing materials. It was found that while the materials do show initial luminescent properties, they were not stable in water and therefore could not realistically be used as sensing materials for solutions of harmful chemicals. As such the focus of the work changed from their luminescent properties to their synthesis and how the structures could vary upon slight alterations to the reaction conditions. It was found that altering the reaction conditions very slightly led to a drastic change in structure and as such we gained insight into the synthesis of metal organic frameworks. After this work on Lanthanide MOFs was complete and we had a fuller picture of the structures and synthetic protocols and how to control them, we moved onto a novel metal source, this time using scandium. This work has given many interesting results, yielding multiple new structures as well as a greater understanding to the mechanism of synthesis of these materials. As such we can now fully control between a number of different material phases by simple synthetic alterations. This is the first time that this level of control has been demonstrated with these materials. All the materials have been fully characterized. |
| Exploitation Route | Further work is to be carried out on more fully understanding the mechanisms involved in the synthesis of MOFs. This method of synthesis can also be applied to other MOF systems and therefore yield new structures and materials as well as giving better control over the purity of the materials synthesized |
| Sectors | Chemicals,Energy |