CSIRO's Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) technology makes it possible to store, separate, release or protect valuable commodities, enabling companies to develop high value products.
MOFs are a crystalline material with the largest internal surface area of any material known; a powder so porous that it can fit the entire surface area of a football field in a teaspoon.
Technology
- We use flow chemistry to create some of the world's highest quality and most flexible MOFs quickly and at scale. We've even got our own burgeoning product development house for MOFs-based technologies, Mofworx.
- Our process is up to 20 times more efficient based on space-time yield with proven versatility (25 different MOFs).
- Pilot plant operating at 10 kg/h of high-performance MOF materials for specific applications.
Applications
- Potential for superior, low cost, versatile and scalable manufacture to overcome supply issues.
- Several applications in development with industry partners: coatings, gas filtration, enzyme controlled release and polymer additive.
This technology enables functional, advanced materials for various industries.
MOFs have demonstrated benefits for:
- Gas storage and delivery, and natural gas storage and purification
- Carbon capture
- Batteries and catalysts
- Horticulture
- Pharmaceuticals
- Fuel production
- Water purification
- Solvent or heavy metal recovery
- Sensors
- Membranes.
MOFs can be used to develop materials that:
- Store gases in a way that is safer and more portable
- Separate gases or liquids from each other with greater performance and longevity than existing methods
- Protect biomolecules in harsh conditions
- Sense and capture substances at concentrations well below those previously possible
- Purify water, removing heavy metal, oil or toxins.
Read New synthetic routes towards MOF production at scale by researchers from CSIRO and the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for more information about how MOFs can help industry.
Intellectual property
- Extensive IP portfolio: some 14 patents covering improved MOF materials and scalable methods of MOF manufacture.
- More than a 100 scientific papers covering accumulated know-how.
The team
Our team consist of world class material scientists and chemical process engineers that develop new materials as well as design equipment in batch and flow chemistry for pilot-scale production of MOFs.