A Step toward Change: A Green Alternative for the Synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are traditionally synthesized using formamide solvents [e.g., dimethylformamide (DMF) and diethylformamide (DEF)] that are hazardous to human health and the environment and also made from fossil fuels. In order to alleviate the environmental impact of MOF synthesis in both academic and industrial settings, safer and greener solvent alternatives are desired. Herein, STEPOSOL MET-10U (N,N-dimethyl-9-decenamide), a bioderived solvent produced via olefin metathesis using renewable feedstocks, such as plant oils, is explored as a solvent for the synthesis of a series of structurally diverse MOFs. The MOFs synthesized using STEPOSOL MET-10U are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis, scanning electron microscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, displaying high crystallinity, purity, porosity, and thermal stability, consistent with the materials typically synthesized in DMF.