Grasping hydrogen adsorption and dynamics in metal-organic frameworks using (2)H solid-state NMR.

Record greenhouse gas emissions have spurred the search for clean energy sources such as hydrogen (H2) fuel cells. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising H2 adsorption and storage media, but knowledge of H2 dynamics and adsorption strengths in these materials is lacking. Variable-temperature (VT) (2)H solid-state NMR (SSNMR) experiments targeting (2)H2 gas (i.e., D2) shed light on D2 adsorption and dynamics within six representative MOFs: UiO-66, M-MOF-74 (M = Zn, Mg, Ni), and α-M3(COOH)6 (M = Mg, Zn). D2 binding is relatively strong in Mg-MOF-74, Ni-MOF-74, α-Mg3(COOH)6, and α-Zn3(COOH)6, giving rise to broad (2)H SSNMR powder patterns. In contrast, D2 adsorption is weaker in UiO-66 and Zn-MOF-74, as evidenced by the narrow (2)H resonances that correspond to rapid reorientation of the D2 molecules. Employing (2)H SSNMR experiments in this fashion holds great promise for the correlation of MOF structural features and functional groups/metal centers to H2 dynamics and host-guest interactions.