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For more than a decade, researchers have been developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in the form of pure MOF membranes as well as MOF-containing mixed-matrix membranes. MOF membranes have been used for H

A gas barrier film with moderate permeance due to capillary flow and high adhesion was made from only water and layered aluminosilicates. Interestingly, gas permeability decreased with increasing humidity. This film preserved the freshness of apples.

This paper presents a novel methodology for measuring the free energy profiles and the self-diffusivity of gases in crystalline microporous materials.

Structural flexibility is a critical issue that limits the applications of MOF membranes for gas separation. Herein we propose a mixed-linker approach to suppress the structural flexibility of the CAU-10-based membranes. Specifically, pure CAU-10-PDC membrane is of high separation performance but at the same time highly unstable for the separation of CO2/CH4. A partial substitution (30 mol.%) of the linker PDC with BDC significantly improves its stability. Such an approach also allows for the aperture size of MOFs. The optimized CAU-10-PDC-H (70/30) membrane possesses a high separation performance for CO2/CH4 (separation factor of 76 and CO2 permeability of 1,111 Barrer under 2 bar of feed pressure at 35 ℃). A combination of in situ characterization with XRD and DRIFT spectroscopy, as well as DFT calculations, unveils the origin of the mixed-linker approach to enhancing the structural stability of the mixed-linker CAU-10-based membranes during the gas permeation tests.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered as promising materials for membrane gas separations. Structural defects within a pure MOF membrane can considerably reduce its selectivity and possibly result in a nonselective separation. This work proposes a solution-phase synthesis with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to suppress the formation of defects in the pure MOF membrane of CPO-8-BPY. Through comprehensive solid-state characterization with XRD, SEM, XPS, solid-state NMR, and XAFS, DBD plasma is demonstrated to facilitate deprotonation in the H2aip linker, which leads to a smaller and more uniform particle size of CPO-8-BPY. The narrow grain size distribution effectively reduces the pinhole-type defects in the pure CPO-8-BPY membrane and endows it with good ideal selectivity for H2/CH4 (αH2/CH4 = 28.2) and N2/CH4 (αN2/CH4 = 5.4). The selectivity for H2/CH4 of this membrane from a mixed-gas permeation test is found to be 15.4. Molecular simulations are also performed to gain insights into the gas transport properties of this MOF. The results suggest that ligand rotation plays an important role in CPO-8-BPY when being applied to the membrane separation of N2/CH4.

Zeolite membranes are widely used for the dehydration of alcohol via pervaporation. This paper presents a post-synthesis atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) treatment aimed at enhancing the water/ethanol separation factor for FER, MOR, and FER-MOR hybrid zeolite membranes. APPJ treatment was shown to increase the separation factor of the three membranes as follows: FER (93 to 377), MOR (141 to 286), and FER-MOR (178 to 315). Pure FER zeolite and MOR membranes increased the water flux slightly. APPJ treatment was shown to reduce crystallinity and air permeability, which suggests a partial elimination of pinholes at grain boundaries in the zeolite membranes and may partially explain the improvement in water/ethanol separation performance. The hydrophilic surface of the APPJ-treated samples may also contribute to the improved separation performance. Note that the proposed APPJ treatment scheme is also applicable to other types of zeolite membrane for alcohol dehydration.

High-performance antifog coatings are critical for devices operating in high-humidity environments, such as endoscopes. However, existing antifog coatings have been unable to achieve good antifoggi...

Integration of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as components of advanced electronic devices is at a very early phase of development and the fundamental issues related to their crystal growth on conductive substrate need to be addressed. Herein, we report on the structural characterization of a newly synthesized Sr-based MOF {[Sr(2,5-Pzdc)(H

We investigated gas adsorption and diffusion in an emerging pillared-bilayer metal–organic framework (MOF), Zn-AIP-AZPY (aip, 5-aminoisophthalic acid; azpy, 4,4′-azobipyridine). This work demonstra...

Zeolites are microporous crystalline materials widely used in catalysis and adsorption applications. The fabrication of zeolite thin films and membranes has also opened up the possibility of using zeolites in electronic devices and membrane separations. The existing approach to growing zeolite films involves exposing the substrate to a high-pH environment; however, this process is applicable to only specific types of substrates. Our group has developed the direct wet deposition of zeolites via ultrasonic nozzle spray deposition to address this issue; however, the relationship between wetting properties and thin-film quality has yet to be investigated. In this study, we prepared zeolite CHA (Si:Al:P = 3:10:20) suspensions using different solvents and surfactants in various concentrations. We then examined the relationships among the composition of the cast solution, their wetting behavior on the glass substrate, and the uniformity of the resulting thin films. We found that using ethanol as a solvent with zeolite crystals in low concentrations with added surfactant yielded zeolite films of high quality. We were also able to produce low-haze zeolite coatings on glass. The zeolite coatings with high hydrophilicity and adsorption capacity presented excellent antifogging capability.

Zeolites are strongly hydrophilic materials that are widely used as water adsorbents. They are also promising candidates for antifogging coatings; however, researchers have yet to devise a suitable method for coating glass substrates with zeolite-based films. Here, we report on a direct wet deposition technique that is capable of casting zeolite films on glass substrates without exposing the glass to highly basic solutions or the vapors used in zeolite synthesis. We began by preparing cast solutions of pure silica zeolite MFI synthesized in hydrothermal reactions of various durations. The solutions were then applied to glass substrates via spin-on deposition to form zeolite films. The resulting zeolite MFI thin films were characterized in terms of transmittance to visible light, surface topography, thin film morphology, and crystallinity. Wetting and antifogging properties were also probed. We found that hydrophilicity and antifogging capability increased with the degree of thin film crystallinity. We also determined that the presence of the amorphous silica in the thin films is critical to transparency. Fabricating high-performance zeolite-based antifogging coatings requires an appropriate composition of zeolite crystals and amorphous silica.

An expanding textile industry has exacerbated the problem of dealing with effluent that contains dye molecules. Despite the development of techniques for recycling or decomposing dyes in wastewater, researchers have yet to develop a highly efficient method for the recovery of dye molecules from textile effluent. Herein, we propose a novel approach to the capture of dye molecules using an inexpensive membrane adsorber. As proof-of-concept, we synthesized a new metal–organic framework (MOF) comprising [Sm2(btc)(H2btc)(H2O)4]·4H2O (SmBTC; btc = 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid). The synthesis of SmBTC was conducted in the aqueous phase to reduce the need for organic solvents. Compared to existing MOFs, SmBTC had a high adsorption capacity for Rose Bengal (380 mg g−1). Membranes containing SmBTC crystals were prepared by interfacial growth using various inexpensive polymeric substrates. The results indicate that the chemical properties of the substrate affect the distribution of SmBTC crystals in the membrane. A uniform distribution of SmBTC crystals in the membrane was found to be critical for the efficient removal of Rose Bengal from aqueous solutions. The membrane adsorber prepared in this work showed a high adsorption capacity as well as a high water permeance (4330 L m−2 per bar per h) for the removal of Rose Bengal from aqueous solutions.

Seeded growth is the most popular approach to the preparation of zeolite thin films and membranes. Herein, we report a simplified method of fabricating zeolite Faujasite (FAU) thin films through the direct wet deposition of zeolite FAU thin films using stabilized colloidal suspensions. Zeolite FAU suspensions are stabilized by adjusting the pH values and the suspensions are spin-coated on a silicon wafer substrate to form dense zeolite FAU thin films. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to investigate the colloidal properties of the zeolite FAU suspensions. The time-dependent hydrodynamic radius Rh was derived from DLS measurements for use as a quantitative measure of colloidal stability. It was found that high pH values destabilize the colloidal suspensions. Thin film samples cast using the relatively stable zeolite FAU suspensions yielded thin films with uniform morphology. In thin films formed from suspensions with a high pH value, the zeolite FAU crystals transformed into a dense phase. We also measured the relative permittivity (er) of the thin film samples cast from various suspensions. At a low frequency (

Zeolite thin films with ordered nanopores and a low dielectric constant can serve as an insulation layer in microelectronic devices. However, the absence of a high-throughput deposition technique is a major technical hurdle in the industrial-scale production of zeolite thin films. Herein, we report on a scalable method, ultrasonic nozzle spray deposition (UNSD), which addresses this issue. A high-frequency standing wave introduced by the ultrasonic nozzle produces uniform sized droplets of the cast suspensions at a scale of tens to hundreds of micrometers, which results in a uniform thin film following the removal of the solvent. In this paper, we focus on the deposition of thin films comprising pure-silica zeolite MFI on a silicon wafer substrate. We systematically investigated how the quality of the zeolite thin films is affected by the composition of the cast suspensions and UNSD operating parameters. We identified the UNSD operating window that allows for the fabrication of uniform dense zeolite thin films at thicknesses ranging from hundreds of nanometers to 3 μm. We determined that zeolite MFI thin films prepared using UNSD outperformed those fabricated using conventional spin-on deposition in terms of uniform film thickness, low leakage current, and high Young's modulus.

Multiple-stimuli-responsive photoluminescence films based on a ZnII -organic framework, {[Zn2 (Htpim)(3,4-pydc)2 ]⋅4 DMF⋅4 H2 O}n (1, Htpim=2,4,5-tri(4-pyridyl)imidazole, 3,4-H2 pydc=3,4-pyridinedicarboxylic acid), were fabricated. This compound consisted of a 2D corrugated layer, {Zn(3,4-pydc)}n , which was further pillared using a Y-shaped pillar N-donor ligand (Htpim) to form a 3D-pillared-layer framework with 1D open channels. The rectangular channels in the as-synthesized compound are fully occupied by guest DMF and H2 O molecules. The framework exhibits instant and reversible thermochromic properties corresponding to the removal of different H2 O and DMF guest molecules as temperature increases. The pale-yellow crystal undergoes significant redshifting to a greenish emission centered at 530 nm. Compound 1 also showed remarkable solvatochromic effects in the presence of various organic solvents without affecting its structural integrity. In addition, polycrystalline MOF films were grown on an α-Al2 O3 support for switchable and fast-response thermochromic and solvatochromic sensors.

Producing zeolite films with controlled preferred orientation on an industrial scale is a long-standing challenge. Herein we report on a scalable approach to the direct wet deposition of zeolite thin films and membranes while maintaining a high degree of control over the preferred crystal orientation. As a proof of concept, thin films comprising aluminophosphate zeolite AEI were cast on silicon wafer or porous alumina substrates. Electrical properties and separation performance of the zeolite thin films/membranes were engineered through controlling degree of preferred crystal orientation.

Investigating metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as water adsorbents has drawn increasing attention for their potential in energy-related applications such as water production and heat transformation. A specific MOF, MIL-100(Fe), is of particular interest for its large adsorption capacity with the occurrence of water condensation at a relatively low partial pressure. In the synthesis of MIL-100(Fe), depending on the reactants, structures with varying anion terminals (e.g., F–, Cl–, or OH–) on the metal trimer have been reported. In this study, we employed molecular simulations and density functional theory calculations for investigating the water adsorption behaviors and the relative structural stability of MIL-100(Fe) with different anions. We also proposed a possible defective structure and explored its water adsorption properties. The results of this study are in good agreement with the experimental measurements and are in support of the observations reported in the literature. Understanding the spatial c...

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are increasingly being used for the sorption of dye molecules. Researchers have demonstrated the high sorption performance of several MOFs; however, their structure–property relationships have yet to be fully elucidated. Furthermore, the lack of a generalized deposition method for the fabrication of MOF membranes limits the industrial-scale application of MOF-based sorbents. In this work, we used a polymorphic system with three MOFs, ZIF-8, ZIF-L, and dia(Zn), to identify the key factors affecting the dye sorption performance. We found that ZIF-L, which possesses free imidazole molecules that leach into water during sorption, had the highest sorption capacity for the dye molecule rose bengal. We developed a wet deposition method for the creation of ZIF-L membranes on a porous alumina substrate using stabilized suspensions of ZIF-L. Tubular alumina supports cast with ZIF-L were used as a membrane adsorber for the removal of rose bengal under continuous-flow conditions. Finally, we investigated the influence of the membrane adsorber synthesis conditions on the sorption characteristics.

Comparing the aperture size of a membrane to the kinetic diameters of gases to be separated has long been regarded as the rule of thumb for identifying potential membrane materials. This method based upon molecular sieving could however fail for CO2 separations using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). While the challenge may be attributed to the breathing effect or linker rotation for some highly flexible MOFs, the adsorbent-adsorbate Coulombic interaction can also significantly influence the diffusion of CO2 in MOFs. This work is aimed to investigate how the Coulombic interaction can alter the free energy profile of CO2 in a MOF channel. MOFs with one-dimensional (1D) channels (98 structures) in the orthorhombic system are probed in this in silico study. Coulombic interactions are identified to cause a notable offset between the transport bottleneck (the spot where the free energy reaches maximum) and the topological bottleneck (the spot where the pore limiting diameter is located). As a result, the transport bottleneck of CO2 and that of H2 or CH4 are found to be at different locations for a decent portion of studied MOF structures. This makes the pore limiting diameter of a MOF fail to serve as an effective indicator for molecular sieving. This study also investigates the Coulombic effect on the permeability of CO2 in MOFs, and suggests that a highly CO2 permeable and selective MOF would have strong CO2 adsorption sites that create an energetically homogeneous channel for transport. Finally, we also discuss the Coulombic effect on the diffusion of CO2 in MOFs when their flexibility is considered.

Membrane pervaporation is an emerging technique for the separation of water from alcohols, and zeolites with ordered ultramicropores (pore size

The properties of (synthesized) single-walled aluminosilicate nanotube (AlSiNT; light-scattering characterized length ∼2000 ± 230 nm and diameter ∼35 ± 4 nm) dispersed in an aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution (10 wt %) are systematically explored using a comprehensive combination of (polarized/depolarized) dynamic light scattering, rheological, rheo-optical, and scanning electron microscopy analysis schemes. The nanotube/polymer dispersions under investigation are promising for their fair nanotube dispersion in pristine aqueous media (e.g., without salt or acid addition), as well as for the optical transparency that greatly facilitates systematic exploration of structural features and dispersion state that are practically inaccessible for many of their (opaque) companions such as carbon nanotube dispersions. We provide the first in-depth analysis revealing excellent dispersion state of (unmodified) AlSiNT in the PVA matrix, giving rise to (critical) gel-like features and substantially promoted elasticity that can be utilized, as a practical assessment, to produce uniform and defect-free electrospun nanofibers. Additionally, there is unambiguous evidence of nematic liquid crystal-like "wagging" (strain-invariant, periodic oscillation) under steady shear flow, a phenomenon previously unreported for nanotube composite materials. Overall, the present findings suggest that AlSiNT/PVA dispersions possess promising rheological, optical, and electrospinning properties that are highly desirable for current nanotechnological applications, and may serve as an ideal model system for establishing structure-performance relationships for like nanotube/polymer composite materials.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) possess ordered micropores with high variety in surface functionality, and are considered excellent candidates for membrane pervaporation. However, only very few successful examples of pure MOF membranes for pervaporation have been reported to date. In this work we report on an emerging pillared-bilayer MOF, Zn-aip-azpy, with a pore limiting diameter of 3.57 A for the pervaporation of water-IPA mixture. We find that the seeding procedure is crucial to the formation of high-quality dense membrane comprising Zn-aip-azpy. The deposition of low-molecular weight PVA is also found to be an effective approach to form a protective layer on the pure Zn-aip-azpy membrane. The optimized Zn-aip-azpy membrane presents a water-to-IPA separation factor of as high as ~2000 with a mass flux of 0.043 kg-m−2-h−1. This is for the first time that the water-to-alcohol selectivity of a pure MOF membrane can exceed 1000. A correlation between air permeance of a membrane and its separation performance is developed in this work, which can be applied to diagnose the pinhole type defects in pure MOF membranes. Molecular simulations conducted herein suggest that, while the interior surface of Zn-aip-azpy is largely alcohol selective, the narrow bottleneck in its one-dimensional channel imposes a large diffusion barrier for IPA and thus renders this membrane high water-to-IPA selectivity.

The unstable nature of SIFSIX-3-Zn to most organic solvents hinders its application for gas separation albeit its excellent molecular sieving effect and a high affinity towards CO2. Here, we report the enhanced organic solvent resistance of SIFSIX-3-Ni by characterizing their crystallinity and gas adsorption properties after exposure to organic solvents including tetrahydrofuran and N, N-dimethylformaide. SIFSIX-3-Ni microparticles were incorporated into a 6FDA-DAM:DABA (3:2) polyimide (PI) and polysulfone (PSF) matrix to prepare mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for CO2/CH4 separation. While PI was an unsuitable matrix for high loading MMMs due to the strong hydrogen bonding between the carboxylic groups of PI and the SiF62− anions of SIFSIX-3-Ni, PSF/SIFSIX-3-Ni MMMs with loading up to 30% were successfully prepared with the aid of the weak interaction between sulfonate groups in PSF and the fluorine atoms of SIFSIX-3-Ni. Interestingly, the CO2 permeability of PSF/SIFSIX-3-Ni MMMs monotonically decreased with increasing CO2/CH4 selectivity as the SIFSIX-3-Ni concentration increased. Also, the PSF/SIFSIX-3-Ni (70/30) MMM showed lower CO2 permeability with higher CO2/CH4 selectivity compared to PSF under an equimolar CO2/CH4 mixed gas condition. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the strong Coulombic interactions between SIFSIX-3-Ni and CO2 significantly increased the free energy barrier of transport for CO2 over CH4, leading to a reduction in the CO2/CH4 diffusive selectivity of the MMMs. In contrast, the CO2 solubility of PSF/SIFSIX-3-Ni MMMs increased with increasing SIFSIX-3-Ni contents due to the strong interaction between SiF62− of SIFSIX-3-Ni and CO2, significantly enhancing the CO2/CH4 adsorptive selectivity.

In this study, we sought to optimize the performance of catalytic membrane reactors for the production of hydrogen through the dehydrogenation of methylcyclohexane. Finite element method was used to simulate the radial and axial distributions of velocity, temperature, and concentrations. We examined a number of design parameters and their effects on reactor performance, including the feed flow rate of methylcyclohexane, the mass of catalysts, and pressure on the permeation side of the hydrogen-selective membrane. Dimensionless analysis using the Damkohler number and Peclet number was also employed in the optimization of the reactor. The catalytic membrane reactor optimized in this work achieved a hydrogen production rate more than five times higher than that of existing systems based on the same reactor volume. Simulations at the microscopic scale were also performed to investigate the effects of the pore size and the porosity of the catalytic layer on hydrogen production.

We report a vapor-phase deposition of poly(p-xylylene) (parylene) membranes for gas separations. Three parylene membranes, poly[(2-chloro-p-xylylene)] (parylene C), poly[(4-amino-p-xylylene)-co-(p-xylylene)] (parylene A), and poly[(2-carboxylic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester)-co-(p-xylylene)] (parylene NHS ester), were evaluated. These membranes were deposited on a support of porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) with a dense layer of poly(vinyl alcohol) cast on its top surface. The as-synthesized parylene membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, and the measurements of water contact angle. Single-gas permeation with hydrogen, nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide was performed on the parylene membranes for assessing their molecular transport properties. These parylene membranes showed gas permeability of up to hundreds of barrer. To further enhance the gas separation performance of the parylene membranes, polyethylenimine (PEI) was used for modifying the surface of the membranes composed of parylene NHS ester.

Despite considerable advancements of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), the practical implementation of MOFs is still hindered by issues of stability and processability. In this work, we sought to overcome these difficulties through surface engineering. As a proof of concept, we subjected ZIF-L with a unique layered crystal morphology to a shell-ligand exchange reaction. This resulted in the partial replacement of 2-methylimidazole by benzimidazole as the linker in the framework on the outer surface of the crystals, thereby changing the surface of the ZIF-L crystal from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The engineered ZIF-L (hereafter referred to as Benz-ZIF-L) formed a stable dispersion in the nonpolar solvent, hexane. The suspension of Benz-ZIF-L in hexane was applied via spin coating to a porous substrate of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), resulting in a thin film of high density. In contrast, the application of a suspension of pure ZIF-L in the same manner did not result in the formation of a thin film. Benz-ZIF-L also exceeded pure ZIF-L with regard to hydrothermal stability and acid/base resistance.

Interwall interactions among most existing double-walled nanotubes are governed by van der Waals force, which has a trivial impact on the mechanical properties of the nanotubes. In this work, we investigated double-walled aluminogermanate nanotubes (AlGeNTs) that include surface hydroxyl groups capable of forming interwall hydrogen bonds or being bridged by covalent bonds. Compared to van der Waals force, interwall hydrogen bonds have a much stronger influence on the mechanical properties of nanotubes. We employed molecular dynamics and nanoscale continuum mechanics to estimate the Young’s modulus and shear modulus of double-walled AlGeNTs, respectively. We compared the effects of interwall interactions in double-walled AlGeNTs and double-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). To amplify the influence of interwall interactions on the elastic modulus of double-walled nanotubes, we also created hypothetical nanotube models in which interwall interactions are represented using covalent bonds. A stronger interwall interaction was shown to increase the Young’s modulus of double-walled nanotubes; however, this produced only a marginal improvement in the shear modulus.

This paper reports on a novel membrane adsorber comprising metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for water treatment. Two types of MOF (ZIF-8 and ZIF-L) were grown within a porous α-alumina support to form a membrane for the adsorption of a dye molecule, rose bengal, in aqueous phase. The external surface of ZIF-L was shown to exhibit strong affinity for rose bengal. We also observed that small crystals (with a large external surface area) are beneficial to adsorption. The surfactant CTAB was used in the synthesis of ZIF-L-based membrane adsorbers in order to reduce the size of ZIF-L particles and increase the loading of ZIF-L within the membrane. The membrane adsorber synthesized with the highest concentration of CTAB achieved the highest dynamic adsorption capacity. The ZIF-L-based membrane adsorbers exhibited water permeance (approximately 2 × 104 L m−2 bar−1 h−1) far exceeding that of most existing membrane adsorbers.

Multifunctional nanoparticles featuring three distinct and orthogonal functionalities for performing catalyst-free click reactions of azide-alkyne and maleimide-thiol and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) are fabricated using a simple chemical vapor deposition copolymerization approach with the flexibility to control the particle size and geometry.

We report on a scalable wet deposition to simultaneously manipulate the self-assembly and orientation of zeolite Linde Type A (LTA) nanocrystals. This process, referred to as surfactant-mediated self-assembly (SMSA), creates zeolite LTA thin films with long-range ordered cylindrical patterns, wherein {100} faces of the crystals are preferably oriented parallel to the support surface. This approach makes it possible to control the diameter as well as the depth of the cylindrical patterns in zeolite thin films fabricated via scalable wet deposition. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the SMSA process, we applied in situ imaging to cast solutions subjected to a temperature swing. Our results indicate that the cylindrical patterns may be developed from micelles of the surfactant, which make up a thermodynamic phase in the cast solution. We also demonstrate that the apparent dielectric constant and optical haze of the zeolite LTA thin films can be engineered by altering the dimensions of the cylindrical patterns.

Water shortage has become a critical issue. To facilitate the large-scale deployment of reverse-osmosis water desalination to produce fresh water, discovering novel membranes is essential. Here, we computationally demonstrate the great potential of single-walled aluminosilicate nanotubes (AlSiNTs), materials that can be synthesized through scalable methods, in desalination. State-of-the-art molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the desalination performance and structure-performance relationship of AlSiNTs. Free energy profiles, passage time distribution, and water density map were also analyzed to further understand the dependence of transport properties on diameter and water dynamics in the nanotubes. AlSiNTs with an inner diameter of 0.86 nm were found to fully reject NaCl ions while allowing orders of magnitude higher water fluxes compared to currently available reverse osmosis membranes, providing opportunities in water desalination.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an emerging persistent organic pollutant. This paper reports on the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as sorbents for the removal of PFOA from aqueous solutions. Specifically, we investigated the effects of topology and surface functionality on PFOA sorption and the uptake kinetics of MOF materials. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-7 (ZIF-7) and ZIF-8 share the same topology but differ in their organic ligands. ZIF-8 and ZIF-L comprise the same metal ion and organic ligand differ in their crystal structure. ZIF-8 and ZIF-L were used to evaluate the effects of MOF topology on their effectiveness as PFOA sorbents. The PFOA sorption performance of ZIF-7, ZIF-8, and ZIF-L was then compared with the performance of two commercialized sorbents, zeolite 13X and activated carbon. ZIF-8 and ZIF-L were shown to outperform the two commercial sorbents and the PFOA sorption capacity and kinetics of ZIF-L are comparable to the benchmark values achieved for PFOA. It appears that the interlayer spacing within ZIF-L plays a key role in sorption performance by reducing the structural restrictions found in most three-dimensional porous materials and thereby allowing for the faster diffusion of PFOA. The discoveries in this work could assist in the development of guidelines for the design of new high-performance sorbents for small-molecule pollutants in aqueous phase.