MaD Lab specializes in the synthesis and characterization of porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for advanced applications. MOFs are three dimensional crystalline materials formed by a network of metal ions (or clusters) coordinated to organic ligand. The crystallinity, structural versatility, porosity, and tailored pore surface are some of the MOFs’ key characteristics that differentiate them from other porous materials.

Taking advantage of their characteristics, within MaD Lab, we investigate the potential of MOFs for:

1. Selective capture of CO₂ from dilute sources. Our goal is to discover MOFs and MOF-polymer-composites that can capture CO2 under wet and high temperature conditions.
2. Development of MOFs and MOF-derived oxides for the conversion of CO₂ into value-added products such as methanol, polymeric carbonates.
3. Discovey of photoresponsive MOFs that can be used as photocatalysts for:
   1. water splitting and hydrogen generation,
   2. CO₂ photoreduction,
   3. degradation of organic substances present in water, and
   4. synthesis of new compounds.
4. Rational design and synthesis of MOFs and MOF heterostructures (MOF-on-MOF and MTV-MOFs) for sensing applications (detection, tunable emission).
5. Bioinspired nanoscale MOFs as theranostic agents for diagnosis and treatment.

In addition to MOFs, we are interested in studying other classes of porous materials like metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) to gain insights into their formation mechanisms. We utilize several techniques in solution and solid state to probe their formation.

Within MaD Lab we combine chemistry, chemical engineering, and material science, to identify solutions (discovery of materials with specific functionality and properties) to key challenges we face in our daily lives.

Keywords: design, synthesis, formation, solid-state characterization, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs), polymeric composites, nanoparticles, in situ, carbon capture, catalysis, photocatalysis, sensing, biomedical