Researchers synthesised a novel highly porous material that allows neutralizing deadly chemical agents

by Virginia Greco

A team of scientists from various Spanish research centres synthesized a new reticular material that can be used to detoxify hazardous chemicals, thanks to its ability to act as a reaction catalyst. This very porous and robust material, named BCN-348, has a peculiar structure, typical of a class of materials called ‘metal-organic frameworks’ (or MOFs). This research has been recently published in ‘Chemical Communication’ and was coordinated by ICREA Prof. Daniel Maspoch, group leader at the ICN2.

New materials with specific and even desired properties can be built by connecting together various reticular structures, which are used as assemblable building blocks. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a type of these blocks, which are very fascinating for their peculiar architecture and porosity and thus have attracted much attention from materials scientists.

Among them, highly connected MOFs are even more appealing, since they exhibit greater chemical, thermal and compositional stability compared to others, as well as great structural robustness. Various strategies can be used to synthesize novel highly connected MOFs and extremely interesting results can emerge from it, as has recently been the case with a new material designed and produced by a team of scientists from various Spanish research centres.

As described in a paper recently published in Chemical Communications (a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry), the researchers synthesized a novel MOF by assembling a specific set of structures: namely, cubic clusters of oxygen and zirconium (Zr) atoms and an octagonal organic linker. The resulting material, which was named BCN-348 (where BCN stands for Barcelona Material), is very porous and remarkably robust.

What makes this new material extremely interesting, though, is that due to its specific properties –such as pore size and polarity, framework connectivity, and stability— it can be successfully employed to neutralize toxic agents and chemical weapons. In fact, BCN-348 can act as a catalyst for reactions that break down highly hazardous compounds, including pesticides and chemicals that interfere with the transfer of signals between the nervous systems and the organs of living beings, thus transforming them into harmless substances. The authors of this study tested this application of the new Zr-based MOF on a simulant molecule (in experiments, less dangerous chemicals that simulate the effect of the real toxic agents are normally used) and observed its ability to actually detoxify the chemical, without the need for additives.

The excellent outcomes of this study prove that BCN-348, this novel material engineered and synthesized by the authors, can be an extraordinary tool to neutralize chemical weapons. In addition, they show (once again) the enormous potential offered by the ability to assemble materials at will by carefully selecting and connecting molecular building blocks. The properties of the materials obtained can be surprising and find amazing applications.

This research was carried out by members of the ICN2 Supramolecular NanoChemistry and Materials group, with group leader ICREA Prof. Daniel Maspoch and senior researcher Dr Inhar Imaz as corresponding authors and PhD student Borja Ortín-Rubio as first author, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Granada, the Materials Science Institute of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC), and the ALBA Synchrotron (Barcelona).

Reference article:

Borja Ortín-Rubio, Cristina Perona-Bermejo, José A. Suárez del Pino, Francisco J. Carmona, Felipe Gándara, Jorge A. R. Navarro, Judith Juanhuix, Inhar Imaz* and Daniel Maspoch*, A mesoporous Zr-based metal–organic framework driven by the assembly of an octatopic linker. Chem. Comm., Issue 50, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D3CC01831H.