Center for Molecular Modeling - A. Lamaire

Design of a Tunable, High-performance Mixed Matrix Membrane Platform for Gas Separations

mieke — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:03:08 +0000

T. Xiaoyu, S. Robijns, A. Lamaire, R. Goeminne, N. De Witte, M. Dickmann, R. Verbeke, T. Van der Donck, R. de Oliveira Silva, Q. Ke, Y. Li, I. Aslam, C. Van Goethem, T. Donckels, R. Helm, D. Sakellariou, T. Van Assche, V. Van Speybroeck, M. Dusselier, I. Vankelecom

Advanced Materials

37(34): 2502393

2025

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202502393

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Water motifs in zirconium metal-organic frameworks induced by nanoconfinement and hydrophilic adsorption sites

sven — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:52:56 +0000

A. Lamaire, J. Wieme, S. Vandenhaute, R. Goeminne, S.M.J. Rogge, V. Van Speybroeck

Nature Communications

15, 9997

2024

Abstract

The intricate hydrogen-bonded network of water gives rise to various structures with anomalous properties at different thermodynamic conditions. Nanoconfinement can further modify the water structure and properties, and induce specific water motifs, which are instrumental for technological applications such as atmospheric water harvesting. However, so far, a causal relationship between nanoconfinement and the presence of specific hydrophilic adsorption sites is lacking, hampering the further design of nanostructured materials for water templating. Therefore, this work investigates the organisation of water in zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with varying topologies, pore sizes, and chemical composition, to extract design rules to shape water. The highly tuneable pores and hydrophilicity of MOFs makes them ideally suited for this purpose. We find that small nanopores favour orderly water clusters that nucleate at hydrophilic adsorption sites. Favourably positioning the secondary adsorption sites, hydrogen-bonded to the primary adsorption sites, allows larger clusters to form at moderate adsorption conditions. To disentangle the importance of nanoconfinement and hydrophilic nucleation sites in this process, we introduce an analytical model with precise control of the adsorption sites. This sheds a new light on design parameters to induce specific water clusters and hydrogen-bonded networks, thus rationalising the application space of water in nanoconfinement.

Gold Open Access

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54358-z

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Unraveling the Mechanisms of Zirconium Metal–Organic Frameworks-Based Mixed-Matrix Membranes Preventing Polysulfide Shuttling

leen — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 08:37:13 +0000

W. Lu, Z. Pang, A. Lamaire, F. Liu, S.Dai, M. L. Pinto, R. Demir-Cakan, K. O. Tan, V. Van Speybroeck, V. Pimenta, C. Serre

Small Science

4, 2300339

2024

Abstract

Lithium-sulfur batteries are considered as promising candidates for next-generation energy storage devices for grid applications due to their high theoretical energy density. However, the inevitable shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides and/or dendrite growth of Li metal anodes hinder their commercial viability. Here, the microporous Zr fumarate MOF-801(Zr) was considered to produce thin (~15.6 µm, ~1mg cm²) mixed matrix membranes (MMM) as a novel interlayer for Li-S batteries. It was found that the MOF-801(Zr)/C/PVDF-HFP composite interlayer facilitates Li⁺ ions diffusion, and anchors polysulfides while promoting their redox conversion effectively. We demonstrated that MOF-801 effectively trapped polysulfides at the cathode side, and confirmed for the first time the nature of the interaction between the adsorbed polysulfides and the host framework, through a combination of solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics simulations. The incorporation of MOF-801(Zr)/C/PVDF-HFP MMM interlayer resulted in a notable enhancement in the initial capacity of Li-S batteries up to 1110 mA h g^-1. Moreover, even after 50 cycles, a specific capacity of 880 mA h g^-1 was delivered.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smsc.202300339

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Quantum tunneling rotor as a sensitive atomistic probe of guests in a metal-organic framework

sven — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 12:32:21 +0000

K. Titov, M.R. Ryder, A. Lamaire, Z. Zeng, A.K. Chaudhari, J. Taylor, E.M. Mahdi, S.M.J. Rogge, S. Mukhopadhyay, S. Rudić, V. Van Speybroeck, F. Fernandez-Alonso, J.-C. Tan

Physical Review Materials

7, 073402

2023

Abstract

Quantum tunneling rotors in a zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-8 can provide insights into local gas adsorption sites and local dynamics of porous structure, which are inaccessible to standard physisorption or x-ray diffraction sensitive primarily to long-range order. Using in situ high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering at 3 K, we follow the evolution of methyl tunneling with respect to the number of dosed gas molecules. While nitrogen adsorption decreases the energy of the tunneling peak, and ultimately hinders it completely (0.33 meV to zero), argon substantially increases the energy to 0.42 meV. Ab initio calculations of the rotational barrier of ZIF-8 show an exception to the reported adsorption sites hierarchy, resulting in anomalous adsorption behavior and linker dynamics at subatmospheric pressure. The findings reveal quantum tunneling rotors in metal-organic frameworks as a sensitive atomistic probe of local physicochemical phenomena.

Gold Open Access

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.7.073402

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Truly combining the advantages of polymeric and zeolite membranes for gas separations

aran — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 12:34:31 +0000

X. Tan, S. Robijns, R. Thür, Q. Ke, N. De Witte, A. Lamaire, Y. Li, I. Aslam, D. Van Havere, T. Donckels, T. Van Assche, V. Van Speybroeck, M. Dusselier, I. Vankelecom

Science

378, 1189-1194

2022

Abstract

Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) have been investigated to render energy-intensive separations more efficiently by combining the selectivity and permeability performance, robustness, and nonaging properties of the filler with the easy processing, handling, and scaling up of the polymer. However, truly combining all in one single material has proven very challenging. In this work, we filled a commercial polyimide with ultrahigh loadings of a high–aspect ratio, CO₂-philic Na-SSZ-39 zeolite with a three-dimensional channel system that precisely separates gas molecules. By carefully designing both zeolite and MMM synthesis, we created a gas-percolation highway across a flexible and aging-resistant (more than 1 year) membrane. The combination of a CO₂-CH₄ mixed-gas selectivity of ~423 and a CO₂ permeability of ~8300 Barrer outperformed all existing polymer-based membranes and even most zeolite-only membranes.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.ade1411

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Quantum free energy profiles for molecular proton transfers

aran — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 12:23:56 +0000

A. Lamaire, M. Cools-Ceuppens, M. Bocus, T. Verstraelen, V. Van Speybroeck

Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation

19, 1, 18–24

2023

Abstract

Although many molecular dynamics simulations treat the atomic nuclei as classical particles, an adequate description of nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) is indispensable when studying proton transfer reactions. Herein, quantum free energy profiles are constructed for three typical proton transfers, which properly take NQEs into account using the path integral formalism. The computational cost of the simulations is kept tractable by deriving machine learning potentials. It is shown that the classical and quasi-classical centroid free energy profiles of the proton transfers deviate substantially from the exact quantum free energy profile.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00874

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Nuclear quantum effects on zeolite proton hopping kinetics explored with machine learning potentials and path integral molecular dynamics

massimo — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 12:51:36 +0000

M. Bocus, R. Goeminne, A. Lamaire, M. Cools-Ceuppens, T. Verstraelen, V. Van Speybroeck

Nature Communications

14, 1008

2023

Abstract

Proton hopping is a key reactive process within zeolite catalysis. However, the accurate determination of its kinetics poses major challenges both for theoreticians and experimentalists. Nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) are known to influence the structure and dynamics of protons, but their rigorous inclusion through the path integral molecular dynamics (PIMD) formalism was so far beyond reach for zeolite catalyzed processes due to the excessive computational cost of evaluating all forces and energies at the Density Functional Theory (DFT) level. Herein, we overcome this limitation by training first a reactive machine learning potential (MLP) that can reproduce with high fidelity the DFT potential energy surface of proton hopping around the first Al coordination sphere in the H-CHA zeolite. The MLP offers an immense computational speedup, enabling us to derive accurate reaction kinetics beyond standard transition state theory for the proton hopping reaction. Overall, more than 0.6 μs of simulation time was needed, which is far beyond reach of any standard DFT approach. NQEs are found to significantly impact the proton hopping kinetics up to ~473 K. Moreover, PIMD simulations with deuterium can be performed without any additional training to compute kinetic isotope effects over a broad range of temperatures.

Gold Open Access

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36666-y

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How Reproducible are Surface Areas Calculated from the BET Equation?

sven — Mon, 23 May 2022 11:10:33 +0000

J.W.M. Osterrieth, J. Rampersad, D. Madden, N. Rampal, L. Skoric, B. Connolly, M.D. Allendorf, V. Stavila, J.L Snider, R. Ameloot, J. Marreiros, C. Ania, D. Azevedo, E. Vilarrasa-Garcia, B.F. Santos, X.-H. Bu, Z. Chang, H. Bunzen, N.R. Champness, S.L. Griffin, B. Cheng, R.-B. Lin, B. Coasne, S. Cohen, J.C. Moreton, Y.J. Colón, L. Chen, R. Clowes, F.-X. Coudert, Y. Cui, B. Hou, D.M. D'Alessandro, P.W. Doheny, M. Dincă, C. Sun, C. Doonan, M.T. Huxley, J.D. Evans, P. Falcaro, R. Ricco, O. Farha, K.B. Idrees, T. Islamoglu, P. Feng, H. Yang, R.S. Forgan, D. Bara, S. Furukawa, E. Sanchez, J. Gascon, S. Telalović, S.K. Ghosh, S. Mukherjee, M.R. Hill, M.M. Sadiq, P. Horcajada, P. Salcedo-Abraira, K. Kaneko, R. Kukobat, J. Kenvin, S. Keskin, S. Kitagawa, K.-i. Otake, R.P. Lively, S.J.A. DeWitt, P.L. Llewellyn, B.V. Lotsch, S.T. Emmerling, A.M. Pütz, C. Martí-Gastaldo, N.M. Padial, J. García-Martínez, N. Linares, D. Maspoch, J.A. Suárez del Pino, P.Z. Moghadam, R. Oktavian, R.E. Morris, P.S. Wheatley, J. Navarro, C. Petit, D. Danaci, M.J. Rosseinsky, A.P. Katsoulidis, M. Schroeder, X. Han, S. Yang, C. Serre, G. Mouchaham, D.S. Sholl, R. Thyagarajan, D. Siderius, R.Q. Snurr, R.B. Goncalves, S. Telfer, S.J. Lee, V.P. Ting, J.L. Rowlandson, T. Uemura, T. Iiyuka, M.A. van der Veen, D. Rega, V. Van Speybroeck, S.M.J. Rogge, A. Lamaire, K.S. Walton, L.W. Bingel, S. Wuttke, J. Andreo, O. Yaghi, B. Zhang, C.T. Yavuz, T.S. Nguyen, F. Zamora, C. Montoro, H. Zhou, A. Kirchon, D. Fairen-Jimenez

Advanced Materials

34, 27, 2201502

2022

Abstract

Porosity and surface area analysis play a prominent role in modern materials science. At the heart of this sits the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) theory, which has been a remarkably successful contribution to the field of materials science. The BET method was developed in the 1930s for open surfaces but is now the most widely used metric for the estimation of surface areas of micro- and mesoporous materials. Despite its widespread use, the calculation of BET surface areas causes a spread in reported areas, resulting in reproducibility problems in both academia and industry. To prove this, for this analysis, 18 already-measured raw adsorption isotherms were provided to sixty-one labs, who were asked to calculate the corresponding BET areas. This round-robin exercise resulted in a wide range of values. Here, the reproducibility of BET area determination from identical isotherms is demonstrated to be a largely ignored issue, raising critical concerns over the reliability of reported BET areas. To solve this major issue, a new computational approach to accurately and systematically determine the BET area of nanoporous materials is developed. The software, called “BET surface identification” (BETSI), expands on the well-known Rouquerol criteria and makes an unambiguous BET area assignment possible.

Gold Open Access

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.202201502

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High-rate nanofluidic energy absorption in porous zeolitic frameworks

sven — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 19:37:50 +0000

Y. Sun, S.M.J. Rogge, A. Lamaire, S. Vandenbrande, J. Wieme, C.R. Siviour, V. Van Speybroeck, J.-C. Tan

Nature Materials

20 (7), 1015–1023

2021

Abstract

Optimal mechanical impact absorbers are reusable and exhibit high specific energy absorption. The forced intrusion of liquid water in hydrophobic nanoporous materials, such as zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), presents an attractive pathway to engineer such systems. However, to harness their full potential, it is crucial to understand the underlying water intrusion and extrusion mechanisms under realistic, high-rate deformation conditions. Here, we report a critical increase of the energy absorption capacity of confined water-ZIF systems at elevated strain rates. Starting from ZIF-8 as proof-of-concept, we demonstrate that this attractive rate dependence is generally applicable to cage-type ZIFs but disappears for channel-containing zeolites. Molecular simulations reveal that this phenomenon originates from the intrinsic nanosecond timescale needed for critical-sized water clusters to nucleate inside the nanocages, expediting water transport through the framework. Harnessing this fundamental understanding, design rules are formulated to construct effective, tailorable and reusable impact energy absorbers for challenging new applications.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-00977-6

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Correlating MOF-808 parameters with mixed-matrix membrane (MMM) CO2 permeation for a more rational MMM development

aran — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 12:20:40 +0000

R. Thür, D. Van Havere, N. Van Velthoven, S. Smolders, A. Lamaire, J. Wieme, V. Van Speybroeck, D. De Vos, I. Vankelecom

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

9 (21), 12782-12796

2021

Abstract

Consistent structure-performance relationships for the design of MOF (metal-organic framework)-based mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) for gas separation are currently scarce in MMM literature. An important step in establishing such relationships could be to correlate intrinsic MOF parameters, such as CO₂ uptake and the CO₂ adsorption enthalpy (Q_st), with the separation performance indicators of the MMM (i.e. separation factor and permeability). Such a study presumes the availability of a platform MOF, which allows systematic comparison of the relevant MOF parameters. MOF-808 can take up the role of such platform MOF, owing to its unique cluster coordination and subsequent ease of introducing additional functional molecules. For this purpose, formic acid (FA) modulated MOF-808 (MOF-FA) was post-synthetically functionalized with five different ligands (histidine (His), benzoic acid (BA), glycolic acid (GA), lithium sulfate (Li₂SO₄) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)) to create a series of isostructural MOFs with varying affinity/diffusivity properties but as constant as possible remaining properties (e.g. particles size distribution). CO₂ uptake and CO₂ adsorption enthalpy of the MOFs were determined with CO₂ sorption experiments and Clausius-Clapeyron analysis. These MOF properties were subsequently linked to the CO₂/N₂ separation factor and CO₂ permeability of the corresponding MMM. Unlike what is often assumed in literature, MOF-808 CO₂ uptake proved to be a poor indicator for MMM performance. In contrast, a strong correlation was observed between Q_st at high CO₂ loadings on one hand and CO₂ permeability under varying feed conditions on the other hand. Furthermore, correlation coefficients of Q_st,15 and Q_st,30 (Q_st at 15 and 30 cm³ (STP)/g) with the separation factor were significantly better than those calculated for CO₂ uptake. The surprising lack of correlation between membrane performance and CO₂ uptake and the strong correlation with Q_st opens possibilities to rationally design MMMs and stresses the need for more fundamental research focused on finding consistent relationships between filler properties and the final membrane performance.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D0TA10207E

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