Mechanochemical Reactions of Metal-Organic Frameworks

Metal-organic framework solids (MOFs) are synthetic porous materials that have drawn intense efforts in their synthesis and many of their chemical properties, most notably their use for the sorption of gases and vapors. The mechanical properties and mechanochemistry of MOFs, which we review in this chapter, have been only partially explored. MOFs can undergo both reversible, elastic deformations, and irreversible plastic deformations, some of which have associated mechanochemical reactions. During elastic deformation, MOFs undergo reversible structural or phase transitions. Plastic deformation of MOFs, on the other hand, can cause significant, permanent modification of the crystal structure, change in pore dimensions and configuration, and alteration of chemical bonding, all of which in turn affect their gas adsorption behavior. The large energies required to induce bond rearrangement during plastic deformation suggests an interesting potential of MOFs for shock wave mitigation applications.