Title : Syntheses of substrate-assisted MOFs with tunable characteristics for use as biological applications platforms
Abstract:
Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are hybrid materials that have been studied extensively since a long time now. The reason owing to their popularity lies in their structural flexibility and relatively high thermal and chemical stability. They have a porous 3-D structure with metal atom at the corners being linked with a ligand moiety, giving them a distinct topology and a flexible pore size. These materials have potent applications in gas adsorption, heterogeneous catalysis and biosensors. However, many of their applications in the field of biological sciences have not been realized to their complete potential yet.
Objective: To optimize (Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework) ZIF MOF syntheses using different solvent systems to obtain precise morphology for possible applications in biomedical engineering as application platforms.
We have reported the formation of ZIF on the surface of varied substrates and have tried to deduce the time- dependent changes which are observed in its crystal morphology at specific temperature parameters. We have optimized ZIF synthesis using two different solvent systems methanol and DMF and have tried their various combinations to obtain highly desirable perfect sod morphology of crystals. The synthesized MOF on substrate have then been explored for their potential as biological platforms. The crystalline structural of ZIF and its localized assembly has been investigated by varying different process parameters be it changing different chemical environments from the nucleation stage or change in temperature and solvent conditions. A correlation amongst crystalline structure variation and the dimensions of their localized assemblies have been investigated through X-Ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic studies. The study outcome indicates that the initial variation in chemical environment had relatively less influence in dictating their crystallinity however, it can significantly change morphology of ZIFs. The synthesized MOF on substrate have then been explored for their potential as biological platforms.
Through this study, we have tried to deduce the morphological evolution of ZIF-8 MOF, synthesized at high temperatures as a function of reaction time, when grown with/without substrate. A time-dependent change in crystal morphology as well as crystal size is clearly visible with best results obtained at a much shorter time than that reported in previous literatures. The optimized MOF growth parameters have been successfully devised for usage in biological applications including biosensor development.
Audience take away:
- The presentation would enhance knowledge of audience regarding MOFs and their precise syntheses.
- They would know about the role of synthesis parameters in MOF crystal growth and attained morphology.
- These results would simplify hydrothermal ZIF synthesis which can be adopted by future researchers to incorporate this MOF class for a variety of applications.
