A facile reactive seeding (RS) method was developed for the preparation of continuous MOF membranes on alumina porous supports, in which the porous support acted as the inorganic source reacting with the organic precursor to grow a seeding layer.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes have attracted considerable attention because of their striking advantages in small-molecule separation. The preparation of an integrated MOF membrane is still a major challenge. Depositing a uniform seed layer on a support for secondary growth is a main route to obtaining an integrated MOF membrane. A novel seeding method to prepare HKUST-1 (known as Cu(3)(btc)(2)) membranes on porous α-alumina supports is reported. The in situ production of the seed layer was realized in step-by-step fashion via the coordination of H(3)btc and Cu(2+) on an α-alumina support. The formation process of the seed layer was observed by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. An integrated HKUST-1 membrane could be synthesized by the secondary hydrothermal growth on the seeded support. The gas permeation performance of the membrane was evaluated.

For the first time, a homochiral metal-organic framework membrane was prepared for the enantioselective separation of important chiral compounds, especially chiral drug intermediates, which will allow for the potential development of a new, sustainable and highly efficient chiral separation technique.

A highly thermally stable, polar MOF built from the rigid ligand benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate and the main-group metal ion Sr(2+) shows ferroelectricity. With the ultimate goal of making components for use in devices, the fabrication of MOF thin films on Al(2)O(3), SrAl(2)O(4), and Al foil substrates using the in situ solvothermal method was explored. The mechanism of macroscopic polarization reversals in the ferroelectric MOF under an ac electric field and the dependence of the morphology of the MOF thin film on the nature of the substrate surface are discussed.

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