MOFs / COFs

COFs and their cousin materials, metal organic frameworks (MOFs), are porous three-dimensional crystals with extraordinarily large internal surface areas that can absorb and store enormous quantities of targeted molecules. Invented by UC Berkeley's Professor Omar Yaghi, COFs and MOFs consist of molecules (organics for COFs and metal-organics for MOFs) that are stitched into large and extended netlike frameworks whose structures are held together by strong chemical bonds. Such frameworks show great promise for, among other applications, carbon sequestration.

Scientists introduce a new framework for artificial photosynthesis

June 24, 2019
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

artificial photosynthesisScientists have long sought to mimic the process by which plants make their own fuel using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water through artificial photosynthesis devices, but how exactly substances called catalysts work to generate renewable fuel remains a mystery.

MOF water harvesting technology one of ten innovations that could change the world

April 4, 2019
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Testing the water harvester

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has released the results of its first search for the Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry. Initiated as a special activity in honor of IUPAC’s 100th anniversary this year, the results have been published in the 2019 April-June 2019 issue of Chemistry International. Research from the lab of Omar Yaghi on water harvesting from desert air technology has been featured as one of the top 10.

Scientists discover hydration is key to improving catalyst performance for industrial use

April 4, 2019
Kelley Smith, Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Phys.org

NanoEP experiment

Scientists have used neutron scattering to identify the secret to a metal-organic framework's (MOF) ability to efficiently convert chemicals, through a process called catalysis, into new substances. By probing a material known as MOF-808-SO4, the team discovered molecular behavior that causes the catalyst to become less acidic, which could slow down the catalytic process vital in making products such as plastics, fragrances, cosmetics, flame retardants and solvents.

Paving the way for more efficient hydrogen cars

December 7, 2018
ACS Press Release

New hydrogen-powered vehicle research

Hydrogen-powered vehicles emit only water vapor from their tailpipes, offering a cleaner alternative to fossil-fuel-based transportation. But for hydrogen cars to become mainstream, scientists need to develop more efficient hydrogen-storage systems. Now, a group of scientists reporting in ACS' Chemistry of Materials have used metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to set a new record for hydrogen storage capacity under normal operating conditions.

Omar Yaghi wins BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences

January 23, 2018
BBVA Foundation

Omar YaghiThe BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences category goes, in this tenth edition, to Jordanian-American chemist Omar Yaghi, “for his pioneering work in the conception and synthesis of new...

Meet Metal-Organic Frameworks, Chemistry’s New Miracle Materials

September 20, 2018
By Krissy Eliot | California Magazine

MOFS float above the desert. Photo courtesy California Magazine.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a revolutionary new class of crystalline solids that can be designed to trap myriad kinds of matter, including greenhouse gases, or to be used as nanosized drug carriers. They can also pull water from desert air.

Getting a charge out of MOFs

August 24, 2018
by Theresa Duque | Berkeley Lab


metal-organic frameworkUC Berkeley researchers have developed a modular metal-organic framework with the highest electron charge mobilities ever observed. A research team led by Jeffrey Long has developed a technique for making an electrically conductive MOF that could also be used to improve the conductivity of other MOFs.

Water harvester delivers fresh water from air

June 8, 2018
By Robert Sanders, Media relations


Markus Kalmutzki, Farhad Fathieh and Eugene Kapustin set up the water harvester. (Stephen McNally photo)A UC Berkeley team headed by Omar Yaghi plopped their newest prototype water harvester into the backyard of a tract home in Arizona and started sucking water out of the air without any power other than sunlight.

http://news.berkeley.edu/2018/06/08/in-desert-trials-next-generation-water-harve…

Atmospheric harvesters will enable arid nations to drink from thin air

May 3, 2018
Engadget

Omar YaghiA newly developed sorbent-based alternative has recently shown that it can harvest atmospheric moisture even when the relative humidity drops to around 10 percent. Under those conditions, that works out to around three liters of water for every million...

http://www.techwarf.com/2018/05/03/atmospheric-harvesters-will-enable-arid-natio…

Water Out of Thin Air? Scientists Says It Can Be Done

April 13, 2017
by J. D. Capelouto

Omar YaghiScientists have developed a box that can convert low-humidity air into water, producing several litres every 12 hours. Omar Yaghi, a chemistry professor at University of California, Berkeley, envisions a future where the water is produced off-grid for individual homes and...

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/water-out-of-thin-air-scientists-says-i…