Metal-organic frameworks for water vapor adsorption

Summary

The development of stable physisorbents for water adsorption-related applications has attracted considerable attention owing to the demands of efficient water vapor capture in industrial production and processes. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which feature high porosity and tunable porous structures and topologies, show promise as efficient water adsorbents and may afford significant energy savings in applications such as atmospheric water harvesting, adsorptive heat transformation, autonomous indoor humidity control, and desiccation of natural gases. This review focuses on recent progress in the development of MOF materials for water adsorption-related applications, covering the rational design and synthesis of MOFs with improved water adsorption performance via reticular chemistry. In particular, we highlight some of the latest advances in MOFs used in water adsorption application devices. Finally, we provide an outlook on the future directions for this emerging field, encompassing chemistry and material science, process engineering, and potential commercialization for MOF-based water adsorption devices.