Flexible metal organic framework compound, Ni(1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene)[Ni(CN)4]n, for CO2 sorption applications

New sorbent materials are required for carbon capture because coal-fired elec. power plants, the largest emitters of this greenhouse gas, will continue to produce much of our nation's electricity for at least several decades. Within the family of pillared layer Metal-org. Frameworks (MOFs), the Ni-based Hofmann compds. [Ni'(L)Ni(CN)4]n (L=pillar ligand), have been shown to be esp. diverse. To understand the CO2 sorption mechanism of these MOFs, and enable the design of even more efficient sorbent materials, detailed knowledge of the crystal structure is necessary. A selected flexible MOF, [Ni'(L)Ni(CN)4]n (L=1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)-ethylene, or bpene), that shows a reversible structural transition between low porosity and high porosity phases during the adsorption/desorption of CO2 has been synthesized and analyzed using synchrotron single crystal diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, small angle neutron diffraction, and adsorption/desorption isotherm measurements. Pore size distribution detn. has also been completed.