A facile strategy towards a highly accessible and hydrostable MOF-phase within hybrid polyHIPEs through in situ metal-oxide recrystallization

Abstract

HKUST-1(Cu) and MOF-5(Zn)@polyHIPE hybrid materials were prepared using a metal salt-free technique, wherein metal–organic frameworks were in situ generated from the CuO- and ZnO-nanoparticles through secondary recrystallization. The solid-to-MOF transformation has proven to be a feasible and effective technique for preparing MOF@polyHIPE hybrid materials with a high MOF content of more than 75 wt%. The MOF phase within the hybrid polyHIPEs as disclosed herein exhibits superior micropore accessibility, structure hydrostability and durable CO₂ adsorption capacity under humid conditions, not achievable with any of the previously reported methods.