SCI和EI收录∣中国化工学会会刊

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2022, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (9): 170-177.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2021.08.014

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Round-the-clock water harvesting from dry air using a metal-organic framework

Jianhui Li1, Yi Wang1, Yang Chen1, Qizhao Xiong1, Jiangfeng Yang1, Libo Li1,2, Jinping Li1,2   

  1. 1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Gas Energy Efficient and Clean Utilization, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China;
    2. Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
  • Received:2021-07-04 Revised:2021-08-25 Online:2022-10-19
  • Contact: Yang Chen,E-mail:chenyangtyut@163.com;Libo Li,E-mail:lilibo908@hotmail.com
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21908155, 21922810 and 22090062); Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of Shanxi Province (201901D211053). We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Tongliang Hu and Dr. Quanwen Li from Nankai University for the X-ray single-crystal diffraction and analysis.

Round-the-clock water harvesting from dry air using a metal-organic framework

Jianhui Li1, Yi Wang1, Yang Chen1, Qizhao Xiong1, Jiangfeng Yang1, Libo Li1,2, Jinping Li1,2   

  1. 1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Gas Energy Efficient and Clean Utilization, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China;
    2. Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
  • 通讯作者: Yang Chen,E-mail:chenyangtyut@163.com;Libo Li,E-mail:lilibo908@hotmail.com
  • 基金资助:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21908155, 21922810 and 22090062); Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of Shanxi Province (201901D211053). We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Tongliang Hu and Dr. Quanwen Li from Nankai University for the X-ray single-crystal diffraction and analysis.

Abstract: Harvesting water from the atmosphere is an important process to solve the extreme lack of water resources in arid regions. Adsorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) takes advantage of solar thermal energy to harvest water from air. This technique is particularly suitable for arid regions characterized by low humidity and an abundance of sunshine. Nonetheless, under low humidity conditions, AWH is highly dependent on water-adsorbing materials exhibiting excellent performance. In this work, a metal–organic framework (MOF), namely [Zn2(bpy)(btec)(H2O)2]·2H2O, also denoted as MWH-1, was investigated for application in water harvesting under low humidity conditions (<20%). Notably, MWH-1 displayed outstanding water and thermal stability. At temperatures of 293–333 K and low pressure, activated MWH-1a exhibited competitive water uptake (relative humidity (RH) = 5%, uptake>200 cm3·cm-3; RH = 10%, uptake>250 cm3·cm-3). This ensured effective water harvesting at high temperatures during the day. In situ powder X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared analyses confirmed the sensitive water adsorption process of MWH-1a. The X-ray single-crystal study further demonstrated that single-crystal structures could be completely restored following water harvesting. MWH-1 showed good structural stability and enabled water harvesting under low humidity and high temperature conditions. Thus, it has the potential for application in round-the-clock water harvesting in extremely arid regions.

Key words: MOFs, Atmospheric water harvesting, Extremely low humidity, Single-crystal restoration, Round-the-clock

摘要: Harvesting water from the atmosphere is an important process to solve the extreme lack of water resources in arid regions. Adsorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) takes advantage of solar thermal energy to harvest water from air. This technique is particularly suitable for arid regions characterized by low humidity and an abundance of sunshine. Nonetheless, under low humidity conditions, AWH is highly dependent on water-adsorbing materials exhibiting excellent performance. In this work, a metal–organic framework (MOF), namely [Zn2(bpy)(btec)(H2O)2]·2H2O, also denoted as MWH-1, was investigated for application in water harvesting under low humidity conditions (<20%). Notably, MWH-1 displayed outstanding water and thermal stability. At temperatures of 293–333 K and low pressure, activated MWH-1a exhibited competitive water uptake (relative humidity (RH) = 5%, uptake>200 cm3·cm-3; RH = 10%, uptake>250 cm3·cm-3). This ensured effective water harvesting at high temperatures during the day. In situ powder X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared analyses confirmed the sensitive water adsorption process of MWH-1a. The X-ray single-crystal study further demonstrated that single-crystal structures could be completely restored following water harvesting. MWH-1 showed good structural stability and enabled water harvesting under low humidity and high temperature conditions. Thus, it has the potential for application in round-the-clock water harvesting in extremely arid regions.

关键词: MOFs, Atmospheric water harvesting, Extremely low humidity, Single-crystal restoration, Round-the-clock