MOFs as catalysts: speeding up chemistry with porous materials

Besides cleaning water, MOFs have another fascinating skill: they can act as catalysts, that is, speed up chemical reactions without being consumed.

In this work we studied two well-known MOFs (UiO-66 and MIL-101) functionalized with sulfonic groups, and we measured their activity and —just as important— their stability in a Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction.

Stability is key: a very active catalyst is of little use if it degrades at the first attempt. Understanding how these materials hold up helps us design more durable catalysts.

It is the other side of the same coin: the same family of porous materials that serves the environment can also drive more efficient chemical processes.