Unveiling the tailorable electrochemical properties of zeolitic imidazolate framework-derived Ni-doped LiCoO_(2) for lithium-ion batteries in half/full cells

As a prevailing cathode material of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),LiCoO_(2)(LCO)still encounters the tricky problems of structural collapse,whose morphological engineering and cation doping are crucial for surmounting the mechanical strains and alleviating phase degradation upon cycling.Hereinafter,we propose a strategy using a zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF)as the self-sacrificing template to directionally prepare a series of LiNi_(0.1)Co_(0.9)O_(2)(LNCO)with tailorable electrochemical properties.The rational selection of sintering temperature imparts the superiority of the resultant products in lithium storage,during which the sample prepared at 700℃(LNCO-700)outperforms its counterparts in cyclability(156.8 mA h g^(-1)at 1 C for 200 cycles in half cells,1 C=275 mA g^(-1))and rate capability due to the expedited ion/electron transport and the strengthen mechanical robustness.The feasibility of proper Ni doping is also divulged by half/full cell tests and theoretical study,during which LNCO-700(167 mA h g^(-1)at 1 C for 100 cycles in full cells)surpasses LCO-700 in battery performance due to the mitigated phase deterioration,stabilized layered structu re,ameliorated electro nic co nductivity,a nd exalted lithium sto rage activity.This work systematically unveils tailorable electrochemical behaviors of LNCO to better direct their practical application.

From Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 to Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs): Representative Substance for the General Study of Pioneering MOF Applications

Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)have been intensely studied for the past few decades as an enormous family of highly tunable porous materials with promisingly applicable functionalities in adsorption,separation,catalysis,sensing,electrochemistry,and a great number of emerging purposes.As a classic MOF,zeolitic imidazolate framework-8(ZIF-8)is conventionally one of the very few MOF members that has been commercialized with considerable production.

Manganese-Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks-90 with High Blood Circulation Stability for MRI-Guided Tumor Therapy

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs)as smart drug delivery systems with microenvironment-triggered release have attracted much attention for tumor therapy.However,the exploration of ZIFs in biomedicine still encounters many issues,such as inconvenient surface modification,fast drug release during blood circulation,undesired damage to major organs,and severe in vivo toxicity.To address the above issues,we developed an Mn-ZIF-90 nanosystem functionalized with an originally designed active-targeting and pH-responsive magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)Y1 receptor ligand[Asn28,Pro30,Trp32]-NPY(25-36)for imaging-guided tumor therapy.After Y1 receptor ligand modification,the Mn-ZIF-90 nanosystem exhibited high drug loading,better blood circulation stability,and dual breast cancer cell membrane and mitochondria targetability,further favoring specific microenvironment-triggered tumor therapy.Meanwhile,this nanosystem showed promising T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging contrast in vivo in the tumor sites.Especially,this nanosystem with fast clean-up had almost no obvious toxicity and no damage occurred to the major organs in mice.Therefore,this nanosystem shows potential for use in imaging-guided tumor therapy.

In-situ emb e dding zeolitic imidazolate framework derived Co–N–C bifunctional catalysts in carbon nanotube networks for flexible Zn–air batteries

Recently, the development of high-performance bifunctional oxygen catalysts integrated with flexible conductive scaffolds f or rechargeable metal-air batteries has attracted considerable interest, driving by fastgrowing wearable electronics. Herein, we report a flexible bifunctional oxygen catalyst thin film consisting of Co–N–C bifunctional catalysts embedding in carbon nanotube(CNT) networks. The catalyst is readily prepared by pyrolysis of cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIF-67) that are in-situ synthesized in CNT networks. Such catalyst film demonstrates very high catalytic activities for oxygen reduction(onset potential: 0.91 V, and half-wave potential: 0.87 V vs. RHE) and oxygen evolution(10 m Acm^-2 at 1.58 V) reactions, high methanol tolerance property, and long-term stability(97% current retention). Moreover, our integrated catalyst film shows very good structure flexibility and robustness. Based on the obtained film air electrodes, flexible Zn–air batteries demonstrate low charging and discharging overpotentials(0.82 V at 1 m A cm^-1) and excellent structure stability in the bending tests. These results indicate that presently reported catalyst films are potential air electrodes for flexible metal–air batteries.

In-situ incorporation of halloysite nanotubes with 2D zeolitic imidazolate framework-L based membrane for dye/salt separation

Layered assembled membranes of 2D leaf-like zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIF-L)nanosheets have received great attention in the field of water treatment due to the porous structure and excellent antibacterial ability,but the dense accumulation on the membrane surface and the low permeate flux greatly hinder their application.Herein,we synthesized m HNTs(modified halloysite nanotubes)/ZIF-L nanocomposites on modified m HNTs by in situ growth method.Interestingly,due to the different size of m HNTs and ZIF-L,m HNTs were packed in ZIF-L nanosheets.The hollow m HNTs provided additional transport channels for water molecules,and the accumulation of the ZIF-L nanosheets was decreased after assembling m HNTs/ZIF-L nanocomposites into membrane by filtration.The prepared m HNTs/ZIF-L membrane presented high permeate flux(59.6 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1)),which is 2-4 times of the ZIF-L membranes(14.8 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1)).Moreover,m HNTs/ZIF-L membranes are intrinsically antimicrobial,which exhibit extremely high bacterial resistance.We provide a controllable strategy to improve 2D ZIF-L assembles,and develops novel membranes using 2D package structure as building units.

A purely green approach to low-cost mass production of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks

Although zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs)have bright prospects in wide fields like gas storage/separation,catalysis and medicine,etc.,their large-scale applications are bottlenecked by the absence of their low-cost commercial production technique.Here,we report an uncon ventional method suitable for environmentally friendly and low-cost mass-production of ZIFs.In this method,taking the synthesis of ZIF-8 as an example,ZnO was used instead of Zn(NO_(3))_(2) in traditional solvent synthesis methods and CO_(2) was introduced to dissolve ZnO in aqueous solution of 2-methylimidazole(HMeim)and form water soluble salt([ZnMeim]^(+)[MeimCOO]^(-))at room temperature.Then,by removing CO_(2) through heating or vacuuming,Meim-ions are produced and instantaneously assemble with[ZnMeim]^(+)s to generate ZIF-8 without any by product.Due to the absence of strong acid anions(such as NO^(-)_(3) and Cl^(-) et al.)in solution,the washing of filter cake required in the conventional approaches could be omitted and the filtrate containing only water and HMeim could be reused completely.This method is really green as no waste gas or liquid generates because CO_(2) and water could be recycled perfectly.It overcomes almost all bottlenecks occurred in commercial production of ZIF-8 when using traditional methods.A pilot plant was established for mass-production of ZIF-8 and hundreds kilograms of ZIF-8 was produced,which indicates that the new method is not only environmentally friendly but also low cost and commercial accessibility.It is expected that the new method would open an avenue for commercial applications of ZIFs.

Preparation of hybridizing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks with carboxymethylcellulose for adsorption separation of n-hexane/3-methylpentane

A novel ZIF-8-CMC hybrid material was fabricated from the hybridization of ZIF-8 and carboxymethylcellulose(CMC) by impregnation method for n-hexane/3-methylpentane separation.The surface properties of ZIF-8 were tailored by introducing CMC into ZIF-8 nanoparticles.In this work,adsorption separation of n-hexane(nHEX) and 3-methylpentane(3 MP) on ZIF-8-CMC were investigated by batch vapor-phase adsorption and liquid-phase breakthrough adsorption.The adsorption selectivity of nHEX/3 MP reversed from preferable adsorption of nHEX to preferable adsorption of 3 MP upon the increasing of CMC containing in the hybrid materials.As the temperature increases,the adsorption amounts of nHEX and 3 MP decrease.With the increasing of CMC contents,the nHEX uptake decreased,the uptake capacity of 3 MP increased gradually.For liquid-phase breakthrough adsorption,the dynamic adsorption capacity of nHEX also decreased with the increasing of temperature.

A customized zeolitic imidazolate framework enabling bionic preconcentration of ultralow CO_(2)

Advancing our understanding of global climate,particularly in polar regions,requires accurate detection of carbon dioxide(CO_(2))in ice cores and deep sea environments.However,detecting trace levels of CO_(2)in these areas presents significant challenges.We introduce a novel preconcentration approach using functionalized zeolitic imidazolate framework,ZIF-8(CN),for the detection of ultra-low CO_(2).ZIF-8(CN)has small pores(4.4■and cyano groups(–CN),enabling highly selective adsorption of CO_(2)(36.2 cm^(3)g^(−1))over N_(2)(1.6 cm^(3)g^(−1))at 298 K.The mechanism involves unique–CN···CO_(2)···–CN interactions within the pore structure.When cast into a film on an aluminum substrate,ZIF-8(CN)demonstrates exceptional CO_(2)preconcentration capability(1 ppm in N_(2))with an extraordinary preconcentration factor of 748,outperforming traditional ZIF and zeolite materials.Additionally,a ZIF-8(CN)preconcentrator is designed and fabricated with bionic gas flow of fractal structure which optimizes the gas-film contact,and thus its performance is further improved by 115%.

Improving the hydrostability of zeolitic imidazolate framework coatings using a facile silk fibroin protein modification method

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs)are an important subclass of metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)with zeolite-type topology,which can be fabricated under ambient synthesis conditions.However,the applications of ZIFs are commonly limited due to the weak hydrostability of their metal–ligand coordination bonds,particularly under humid and aqueous conditions.In this work,as an example,the hydrolysis behaviours of ZIF-L with a special focus on ZIF-L coatings were tested at aqueous conditions with a wide range of pHs to systematically study and fundamentally understand their structural stability and degradation mechanism.Pristine ZIF-L powder and ZIF-L coatings were severely damaged after only 24 h in aqueous media.Interestingly,the ZIF-L coatings showed two distinct hydrolyzation pathways regardless of pH conditions,exhibiting either a ring-shaped etching or unfolding behaviours.While the ZIF-L powders were hydrolyzed almost identically across all pH conditions.With this new understanding,a facile silk fibroin(SF)protein modification method was developed to enhance the hydrostability of ZIF-L coatings in aqueous media.The effect of protein concentration on surface coating was systemically studied.ZIF-L coating retained its surface morphology after soaking in water and demonstrated switchable super wetting properties and superior separation performance for oil/water mixture.As a result,the quick SF protein modification significantly enhanced the stability of ZIF-L coatings under various pHs,while retaining their switchable wetting property and excellent separation performance.

Exploring porous zeolitic imidazolate frame work-8(ZIF-8)as an efficient filler for high-performance poly(ethyleneoxide)-based solid polymer electrolytes

Nano Research volume 13,pages2259–2267(2020)Cite this article 277 Accesses 1 Altmetric Metrics details Abstract The incorporation of inorganic fillers into poly(ethyleneoxide)(PEO)-based solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs)is well known as a low-cost and effective method to improve their mechanical and electrochemical properties.Porous zeolitic imidazolate framework-8(ZIF-8)is firstly used as the filler for PEO-based SPEs in this work.Due to the introduction of ZIF-8,an ionic conductivity of 2.2×10^−5 S/cm(30℃)is achieved for the composite SPE,which is one order of magnitude higher than that of the pure PEO.ZIF-8 also accounts for the broader electrochemical stability window and lithium ion transference number(0.36 at 60℃)of the composite SPE.Moreover,the improved mechanism of ZIF-8 to the composite SPE is investigated by zeta potential and Fourier transform infrared spectrograph characterizations.The stability at the composite SPE/lithium interface is greatly enhanced.The LiFePO4||Li cells using the composite SPE exhibit high capacity and excellent cycling performance at 60℃,i.e.,85%capacity retention with 111 mA·h/g capacity retained after 350 cycles at 0.5 C.In comparison,the cells using the pure PEO show fast capacity decay to 74 mA·h/g maintaining only 68 capacity.These results indicate that the PEO-based SPEs with ZIF-8 are of great promise for the application in solid-state lithium metal batteries.

Facile fabrication of nanoscale hierarchical porous zeolitic imidazolate frameworks for enhanced toluene adsorption capacity

The development of a simple and facile synthesis route is a highly desirable but challenging process in the fabrication of nanoscale hierarchical porous zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs).Herein we describe a facile method for rapidly synthesizing hierarchically porous ZIF-90 nanocrystals(particle sizes of~300 nm)using hydroxyl double salts as intermediates at room temperature.The as-synthesized ZIF-90 contained hierarchical porous structures developed using a crystalline interior and a random stack of multiple nanoparticles.Both the morphology and particle size of ZIF-90 nanocrystals could be tuned by controlling the molar ratio of ICA/Zn^(2+).Note that the as-synthesized hierarchically porous ZIF-90 nanocrystals exhibited higher thermal stability compared with the conventional ZIF-90.Because of the introduction of hierarchical porous structures,the resultant hierarchically porous ZIF-90 nanocrystals showed enhanced toluene adsorption capacity than those of conventional metal organic frameworks and zeolites.

Rapid room-temperature synthesis of hierarchical porous zeolitic imidazolate frameworks with high space-time yield

Hierarchical porous zeolitic imidazolate frameworks （ZIFs） have potential for adsorption, catalysis and chemical sensing applications. Ultrafast synthesis of ZIFs at room temperature and pressure is particularly desirable for large-scale industrial production. Here, we developed a green and versatile method using organic amines as supramolecular templates （organic amine-template） to rapidly synthesize hierarchical porous ZIFs （ZIF-8, ZIF-61 and ZIF-90） at room temperature and pressure. The synthesis time was reduced dramatically to within 1 min, and the resulting ZIFs had multimodal hierarchical porous structures with mesopores/ macropores interconnected with micropores. Notably, the space-time yield （STY） of hierarchical porous ZIF-8 was up to 1.29×10^4 kg m^-3 d^-1, which is more than three times higher than that reported using other methods. Furthermore, the morphologies and porosities of the produced ZIFs could be readily tuned by controlling the synthesis time or type of organic amine. The organic amine played two roles in the synthesis： （1） a protonation agent to deprotonate organic ligands, facilitating the formation of ZIF crystals, and （2） an structure directing agent to direct mesopore/macropore formation. The resulting hierarchical porous ZIF-8 exhibited enhanced uptake capacities and diffusion rates for guest molecules relative to its microporous counterpart. This work provides a new direction for the green and efficient synthesis of various hierarchical porous ZIFs with high STYs for a wide range of applications.

Bimetallic zeolite imidazolate framework for enhanced lithium storage boosted by the redox participation of nitrogen atoms

In this work, a bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate framework （ZIF） CoZn-ZIF was synthesized via a facile sol-vothermal approach and applied in lithiumion batteries. The as-prepared CoZn-ZIF shows a high reversible capacity of 605.8 mA b g-i at a current density of 100 mA g^-1, far beyond the performance of the corresponding monometallic Co-ZIF- 67 and Zn-ZIF-8. Ex-situ synchrotron soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron paramagnetic resonance techniques were employed to explore the Li^storage mechanism. The superior performance of CoZn-ZIF over Co-ZIF-67 and Zn-ZIF-8 could be mainly attributed to lithiation and delithiation of nitrogen atoms, accompanied by the breakage and recoordination of metal nitrogen bond. Morever, a few metal nitrogen bonds without recoordination will lead to the amorphization of CoZn-ZIF and the formation of few nitrogen radicals.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) for drug delivery: a critical review

Zeolitie imidazolate framework-8(ZIF-8),composed of Zn ions and imidazolate ligands,is a class of metal-organic frameworks,which possesses a similar structure as conventional aluminosilicate zeolites.This material exhibits inherent porous property,high loading capacity,and pH-sensitive degradation,as well as excep-tional thermal and chemical stability.Extensive research effort has been devoted 10 relevant research aspects ranging from synthesis methods,property characterization to potential applications of ZIF-8.This review focuses on the recent development of ZIF-8 synthesis methods and its promising appications in drug delivery.The potential risks of using ZIF-8 for drug delivery are also summarized.

An FPS-ZM1-encapsulated zeolitic imidazolate framework as a dual proangiogenic drug delivery system for diabetic wound healing

Inhibitors that target diabetes pathology-related signaling pathways have great therapeutic potential for diabetic wound healing.Metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)are increasingly popular drug delivery systems that have high loading capacity and can release their intrinsic metal ions to act as bioactive agents.In light of this,a receptor for advanced glycation end products(RAGE)inhibitor,4-chloro-N-cyclohexyl-N-(phenylmethyl)-benzamide(FPS-ZM1),was loaded into a cobalt(Co)-based MOF(zeolitic imidazolate framework-67,ZIF-67)to fabricate FPS-ZM1 encapsulated ZIF-67(FZ@ZIF-67)nanoparticles(NPs).As a result,FZ@ZIF-67 NPs could dually deliver Co ions and FPS-ZM1 in a controlled manner for over 14 days.Our in vitro study showed that FZ@ZIF-67 NPs not only enhanced angiogenesis by delivering Co ions but also released FPS-ZM1 to promote M2 macrophage polarization and attenuated high glucose(HG)-and/or inflammation-induced impairment of angiogenesis through RAGE inhibition.Moreover,in an in vivo study,FZ@ZIF-67 NPs markedly improved re-epithelialization,collagen deposition,neovascularization,and relieved inflammation in diabetic wounds in rats.This study not only provides a low-cost,effective,and synergistic proangiogenic bioactive agent but also demonstrates that targeting diabetes-related pathological signaling pathways is necessary to ameliorate vascularization impairment during diabetic wound healing.

Bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate framework-derived substrate-free anode with superior cyclability for high-capacity lithium-ion batteries

Freestanding carbon nanofibers loaded with bimetallic hollow nanocage structures were synthesized.The nanocages inherited the rhombic dodecahedral morphology of the zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF)precursors,ZIF-8 and ZIF-67.As anode materials for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),the bimetallic nanocage-loaded freestanding carbon nanofibers effectively buffered volume expansions and alleviated pulverization through their different reduction and oxidation potentials.The higher capacities of the composite anodes arose via the formation of the Li_(x)Zn alloy and Li_(2)O by Zn and Co ions,respectively,and the enhanced conductivity conferred by the carbon nanofibers.A synergistic effect of the composite components toward the strong electrochemical performance(688 m A h·g^(-1)at 1200 m A·g^(-1))of the bimetallic nanocage-loaded fibers was demonstrated through the superior long-term stability of the anode(1048 m A h·g^(-1)after 300 cycles at 100 m A·g^(-1)),suggesting that the fabricated anode can be a promising material for use in portable LIBs.

Regulation of surface carbides on palladium nanocubes with zeolitic imidazolate frameworks for propyne selective hydrogenation

The selective hydrogenation of propyne to propylene has attracted great attention in chemical industry for removing trace amount of propyne for producing polymer-grade propylene. As the state-of-the-art catalyst, Pd suffers from the disadvantage of poor propylene selectivity due to the over-hydrogenation of propylene to propane. We here demonstrate that Pd nanocubes (NCs) coated by zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (i.e., Pd NCs@ZIF-8) can serve as highly active and selective catalysts for propyne selective hydrogenation (PSH). Benefitting from the unique properties and abundant groups of ZIF-8, Pd carbide (Pd-C) is formed on the surface of Pd NCs after thermal treatment, which acts the active sites for PSH to propylene. More importantly, the content of Pd-C can be precisely controlled by altering the calcination temperature without aggregation of Pd NCs and obvious changes in the framework of ZIF-8. The formation of Pd-C on Pd NCs@ZIF-8 can strongly suppress the H2 adsorption, and thus selectively catalyze propyne to propylene. Consequently, the optimized catalyst (i.e., Pd NCs@ZIF-8-100) exhibits a propylene selectivity of 96.4% at a propyne conversion of 93.3% at 35 °C and atmospheric pressure. This work may not only provide an efficient catalyst for PSH, but also shed a new light on the catalytic application of ZIFs.

High-throughput model-building and screening of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks for CO2 capture from flue gas

To find potential zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs)for CO2 capture from flue gas,we built 169,898 ZIF models from 84,949 hypothetical zeolite networks.By calculating their lattice energies,accessible volumes to CO2,the isosteric adsorption heat(Qst)of H2 O,Henry’s constant ratio(SKH)of CO2/N2,percent regenerability(R%),CO2 working capacity(ΔNCO2),CO2/N2 adsorption selectivity(SCO2/N2))and adsorbent performance score(APS),we identi fied 49 hydrophobic ZIF structures that might outplay already-realised ZIFs built from the same imidazolate linkers for CO2 capture from flue gas.

Spatial confinement of zeolitic imidazolate framework deposits by porous carbon nanospheres for dual-atom catalyst towards high-performance oxygen reduction reaction

Dual atom catalysts(DACs),are promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)on account of the potential dual-atom active sites for the optimized adsorption of catalytic intermediates and the lower reaction energy barriers.Herein,spatial confinement strategy to fabricate DACs with well-defined Fe,Co dual-atom active site is proposed by implanting zeolitic imidazolate frameworks inside the pores of highly porous carbon nanospheres(Fe/Co-SAs-Nx-PCNSs).The atomically dispersed dual-atom active sites facilitate the adsorption/desorption of intermediates.Furthermore,the spatial confinement effect protects metal atoms aggregating.Benefiting from the rich accessible dual-atom active sites and boosted mass transport,we achieve remarkable ORR performance with half-wave potential up to 0.91 and 0.8 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)),and long-term stability up to 10 h in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes.The remarkably enhanced ORR catalytic property of our as-developed DACs is in the rank of excellence for 1%.The as-developed rechargeable Zn-air battery(ZAB)with Fe/Co-SAs-Nx-PCNSs air cathode delivers ultrahigh power density of 216 mW·cm^(−2),outstanding specific capacity of 813 mAh·g^(−1),and promising cycling operation durability over 160 h.The flexible Zn-air battery also exhibits excellent specific capacity,cycling stability,and flexibility performance.This work opens up a new pathway for the multiscale design of efficient electrocatalysts with atomically dispersed multiple active sites.

Microfluidic one-step, aqueous synthesis of size-tunable zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 for protein delivery

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8(ZIF-8)with porous structure,biocompatibility,and pH-sensitive release behavior is a promising nanoplatform for protein delivery.However,it is still a challenging task for a practical synthesis of protein-loaded ZIF-8 nanoparticles.Here we report an all-aqueous microfluidic reactor for one-step,rapid,and highly controlled synthesis of ZIF-8 nanoparticles with high protein loading at room temperature.Microfluidic reactor allows for an ultrafast(<35 ms),complete mixing of Zn2+ions and 2-methylimidazole(2-MIM)at different molecular ratios,leading to the formation of stable ZIF-8 nanoparticles with tunable sizes(13.2–191.4 nm)in less than 30 s.By pre-mixing various proteins such as bovine serum albumin(BSA)(isoelectric point(pI)=5.82),ovalbumin(OVA)(pI=4.82),or RNase A(pI=8.93)with 2-MIM,ZIF-8 nanoparticles can be synthesized with protein encapsulation efficiency over 97%.Among the nanoparticles with different sizes,25 nm ZIF-8 nanoparticles show the best performance in promoting the cellular uptake of protein payload.Using OVA as a model protein,we demonstrate that 25 nm ZIF-8 nanoparticles significantly enhance the cytosolic delivery of antigen,as indicated by the effective activation of dendritic cells.We anticipate that this microfluidic synthesis of nanomaterials may advance the emerging field of cytosolic protein delivery.