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Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment: Adsorption of Perfluoroalkyls in Metal Organic Frameworks

Feb 3, 2023

A two-component undergraduate laboratory experience has been developed by students in a senior level capstone course. The first component is a 3 h laboratory experience dedicated to the rapid synthesis of a metal−organic framework (MOF) in aqueous solution using readily available reagents and equipment. During the second component, this MOF was characterized via a suite of instruments: powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). In addition, quantitative 19F{1H} NMR spectroscopy was utilized to quantify the amount of a polyfluoroalkyl substance, adsorbed from solution. The two 3 h laboratory experiences were subsequently deployed in a foundation level inorganic chemistry course. This two-component, multi-instrument lab experience provides students an opportunity to synthesize a modern porous solid and utilize it in an emerging application of MOF science.

U.S. National Science Foundation and NSF DMREF, Materials for Our Future

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation Award No. 2015237. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation. This site is maintained collaboratively by principal investigators with NSF DMREF awards, independent of the NSF.