Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
A 2017 study reported a metal–organic framework (MOF) that could be melted while retaining important features of its crystalline parent: its chemical configuration, metal–ligand coordination and porosity. The result was a fundamental materials-science milestone, not a ready-to-use gas absorbent. It raised a promising question: can a liquid preserve useful framework structure while offering new ways to process or combine materials?
What happens to a MOF when it melts?
MOFs are materials built from metal-containing units connected by organic molecules. In the familiar crystalline form, those connections repeat in an ordered, three-dimensional framework. The 2017 study examined a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) as it transitioned from a solid crystal into a liquid.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The researchers combined variable-temperature X-ray measurements, neutron pair-distribution-function experiments and first-principles molecular dynamics. Their conclusion was that the parent framework’s chemical configuration, coordinative bonding and porosity survive in the liquid state. That does not mean the liquid retains the crystal’s long-range order: a liquid is disordered, even if important local arrangements remain.
Recommended Free Tools
The authors described their result as demonstrating that these features survive formation of the MOF liquid in their 2017 paper in Nature Materials. “First liquid MOF” is best understood as the milestone reported in that study, not as a claim that it was the first liquid porous material of any kind.
#1 Best Overall
Does the liquid keep its pores?
The paper reported porosity in the liquid, but the idea needs careful interpretation. A porous crystal has a regular structure that can create accessible voids; a liquid has no fixed crystal lattice. The study’s finding is that framework organization and porosity persist despite the transition to a disordered state—not that the liquid has the same pore geometry, accessibility or gas-capture performance as the original crystal.
A contemporaneous Chemistry World account noted that experimental validation and further study of the proposed liquid-state porosity were still needed. The structural evidence makes the result scientifically significant, but it does not establish a working absorbent or quantify performance in a practical gas-handling process.
How the liquid MOF compares with a crystal or glass
| State | Structure | Porosity | Processing and maturity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystalline MOF | Long-range ordered framework. | Framework pores are part of the crystalline structure. | The established comparison point in MOF research; application depends on the particular material and process. |
| MOF liquid reported in 2017 | Disordered as a liquid, while the study reported survival of chemical configuration and coordinative bonding. | The 2017 paper reported that porosity survives melting; accessible performance in an operating process was not established. | Melting suggests potential routes to shaping or mixing, but early examples involved demanding temperatures and were not demonstrated commercial materials. |
| MOF glass | A glass is a disordered solid, distinct from a liquid. | Specific porosity depends on the material; the cited sources do not establish a general value for MOF glasses. | MOF liquids and glasses are an emerging research area, with continuing challenges. |
A 2023 review of MOF liquids and glasses surveys possible functions including porosity, ionic conductivity, and optical and mechanical properties, while emphasizing that challenges remain. The field is therefore broader than one melting result, but proposed functions should not be mistaken for proven applications.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Could a liquid MOF capture gases?
Potentially, but the 2017 result did not demonstrate a commercial or industrial gas-capture material. Researchers and commentators discussed possibilities such as combining a liquid MOF with other substances, making composites and developing porous liquids for gas handling. These are directions for further work, not validated products.
To turn the structural finding into a practical absorbent, researchers would need to establish that gases can reach and occupy the relevant voids, measure capacity and selectivity under useful operating conditions, and show that the material can be processed and reused reliably. The cited paper and contemporaneous account do not establish those application-level results.
Why do high melting temperatures matter?
Melting a material at high temperature can make processing energy-intensive and restrict which other substances can be combined with it. Stuart James of Queen’s University Belfast, quoted in the 2017 Chemistry World report, described the melting temperatures suggested at the time as prohibitive for applications and said lower melting temperatures would be important to practical prospects. That was an assessment of the early work, not a specification for every MOF liquid.
Rank #4
The report also refers to heating an earlier ZIF glass precursor to almost 600°C and shows a modelled liquid configuration at 856 K. These are separate temperature references with different contexts; neither should be treated as a universal or precise operating temperature for a liquid MOF.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhy the finding matters
Most familiar MOF research centers on crystalline solids. A liquid that retains significant local framework features suggests a way to study and potentially process materials in a state between rigid crystals and conventional liquids. If future work can lower processing temperatures and demonstrate accessible, useful porosity, liquid MOFs could offer routes to composites or gas-handling materials that are difficult to make from crystals alone.
Best Value
For now, the strongest established contribution is scientific: the 2017 study reported that a MOF’s chemical configuration, coordination and porosity can persist through melting. Whether that persistence can deliver practical performance remains a separate question.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
