Speaker
Description
Controlling and understanding the mechanisms that govern crystallization processes is crucial in contemporary materials science, particularly in the field of reticular solids, where significant challenges remain. In this seminar, I will demonstrate how microfluidic synthetic conditions can control the size and shape of various functional porous crystals, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs). Specifically, I will show that microfluidic synthesis can produce the largest MOF single crystals with controlled nonequilibrium shapes reported to date, in contrast to the typical polyhedral microcrystals formed under bulk crystallization conditions. Additionally, I will illustrate how microfluidic technologies and confined synthesis can address several challenges in the COF research area. For instance, I will demonstrate that a confined synthesis can led to COFs with nanoscales sizes, enabling their processing and integration in active platforms. This is particularly significant given that COFs are typically obtained as powders with limited solubility and no melting point, making conventional processing techniques like solution processing or melt-extrusion inapplicable. The results to be presented will not only showcase the potential and versatility of MOFs and COFs but also demonstrate new avenues for their application in cutting-edge biotechnological solutions.
