Toward 3D printed hydrogen storage materials made with ABS-MOF composites

Abstract

The push to advance efficient, renewable, and clean energy sources has brought with it an effort to generate materials that are capable of storing hydrogen. Metal-organic framework materials (MOFs) have been the focus of many such studies as they are categorized for their large internal surface areas. We have addressed one of the major shortcomings of MOFs (their processibility) by creating and 3D printing a composite of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and MOF-5, a prototypical MOF, which is often used to benchmark H2 uptake capacity of other MOFs. The ABS-MOF-5 composites can be printed at MOF-5 compositions of 10% and below. Other physical and mechanical properties of the polymer (glass transition temperature, stress and strain at the breaking point, and Young’s modulus) either remain unchanged or show some degree of hardening due to the interaction between the polymer and the MOF. We do observe some MOF-5 degradation through the blending process, likely due to the ambient humidity through the purification and solvent casting steps. Even with this degradation, the MOF still retains some of its ability to uptake H2, seen in the ability of the composite to uptake more H2 than the pure polymer. The experiments and results described here represent a significant first step toward 3D printing MOF-5-based materials for H2 storage.

Challenges and Opportunities in Preserving Key Structural Features of 3D-Printed Metal/Covalent Organic Framework

“…However, in order to maintain the transition behavior, the M/COF content cannot be high. For example, the maximum loading of the MOF in ABS is only 10 wt%; otherwise, the filament will become too brittle to maintain the structure integrity [44].…”

Constructing strategies for hierarchically porous MOFs with different pore sizes and applications in adsorption and catalysis

“…111 In addition, 3D printing may not be suitable for synthesizing MOFs that are unstable in the air because the layer-by-layer printing process may require prolonged exposure to air (15–120 h). 112 When 3D printing technology becomes more mature, the structure and pore sizes of MOFs will be tailored more precisely.…”

3D printed cylindrical capsules as a Chlorella pyrenoidosa immobilization device for removal of lead ions contamination

“…FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) is the most widely used 3D printing technology, which is used as the framework for adsorbent loading ( Wang, et al, 2014 ; Shi, et al, 2017 ). More applications of FDM are the manufacture of adsorbent/polymer 3D printing filaments into adsorption devices ( Bible, et al, 2018 ; Channell, et al, 2018 ; Evans, et al, 2018 ). With the design ability of the 3D printed structure, the adsorbent can be exposed as much as possible, which makes up for some shortcomings of the original immobilization method.…”