Compressive Mechanical Properties of Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) Aerogels Prepared By Supercritical Drying

The compressive strength and properties of low density metal-organic framework aerogels are a result of their cellular architecture. A random cell construct generally gives rise to high specific surface area and interconnected pore channels for fluid transport. The stiffness of MOFs make the materials brittle, but by reengineering MOF into an aerogel creates a compressible material. Mechanical measurements shows that these low-density, light-weight MOF aerogels can recover its initial shape under 30 % compression. The Young’s modulus that follows E~ρ² behavior and it is anticipated that compressive MOF aerogels will make the material attractive in broad range of practical applications.