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A 2017 study reported a metal–organic framework (MOF) that became liquid while retaining key features of its crystalline structure, including its local coordination and porosity. The finding was a materials-science milestone—not a ready-to-use gas absorbent—but it raised the possibility of exploring and processing porous materials in a new state.
What did the researchers make?
The material belonged to the zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) family, a class of MOFs. In their 2017 paper, R. Gaillac and colleagues reported a strongly associated MOF liquid formed by melting a ZIF. They concluded that the parent crystal’s chemical configuration, coordinative bonding and porosity survived the transition.
The authors described their conclusion as follows: “We demonstrate from structural, dynamical, and thermodynamical information that the chemical configuration, coordinative bonding, and porosity of the parent crystalline framework survive upon formation of the MOF liquid.” (Nature Materials, 2017)
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How did they study the liquid?
The team combined in situ variable-temperature X-ray measurements, neutron pair-distribution-function experiments and first-principles molecular dynamics. These methods let them examine structure and motion as the material was heated, then compare the observations with simulations.
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A contemporaneous account reports that the work used the UK’s ISIS Neutron and Muon Source and Diamond synchrotron. It also says the team observed a heat-capacity jump above the melting temperature, which they interpreted as evidence that a liquid phase had formed. (Chemistry World, 10 October 2017)
What does “porosity survives” mean?
Crystalline MOFs have an ordered arrangement of metal nodes and organic linkers that creates pores. A liquid loses the crystal’s long-range order, but its local chemical coordination can persist. The 2017 study reported that porosity remained in the liquid state alongside that coordination.
That is an important structural result, but it is not the same as proving that the liquid has accessible pores that capture a useful quantity of gas under practical conditions. The contemporaneous report explicitly noted that the proposed liquid-state porosity still required experimental validation and further study.
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How does a liquid MOF compare with a crystal or glass?
| State | Structure | Porosity evidence and maturity | Processing implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystalline MOF | Long-range ordered framework. | Porosity is a familiar feature of crystalline MOF research. | Retains a solid form; the liquid-state study explored whether framework features could persist after melting. |
| MOF liquid | Disordered as a liquid, while local coordination can remain. | The 2017 paper reported surviving porosity; practical accessibility and gas-handling performance were not established. | A liquid could potentially be reshaped or combined with other materials, but early examples involved demanding heat. |
| MOF glass | Disordered solid rather than a crystalline solid or flowing liquid. | MOF glasses and liquids are part of an emerging research area; a 2023 review surveys potential functions and continuing challenges. | Different from melting into a liquid; the cited reports do not establish a direct processing comparison. |
The broader field remains exploratory. A 2023 review surveys potential functions of MOF liquids and glasses—including porosity, ionic conductivity, and optical and mechanical properties—while also emphasizing that challenges remain. (2023 review)
Could a liquid MOF capture gases?
Porous liquids could, in principle, offer a way to handle gases while retaining pores in a flowable material. The 2017 result therefore suggested avenues for future research, such as combining a liquid MOF with other substances, forming composites or investigating porous liquid absorbents.
Those are possibilities, not demonstrated applications of the reported material. The study established a fundamental materials result; the sources do not establish validated performance in a gas-separation process or a commercially available liquid ZIF product.
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Why do the early melting temperatures matter?
High temperatures can make a material difficult to process or use in applications that cannot tolerate heat. In the 2017 coverage, Stuart James of Queen’s University Belfast called the prospect “fascinating” and the paper “quite thought-provoking,” while describing the melting temperatures suggested at the time as prohibitive for applications. He identified lower melting temperatures as important to future practical prospects. That was an assessment of the early work, not a claim about every MOF liquid.
The same Chemistry World report includes two distinct temperature references: an earlier ZIF glass precursor heated to almost 600°C, and a modelled liquid configuration at 856 K. They describe different contexts and should not be treated as a single definitive melting-point specification or an operating temperature for a product.
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What the milestone does—and does not—show
- It shows: the 2017 researchers reported a MOF liquid whose parent framework’s chemical configuration, coordination and porosity survived melting.
- It does not establish: that the liquid’s pores are accessible enough for practical gas capture, that it performs reliably in an industrial process, or that a commercial product is available.
- Why it matters: it opened a route for investigating disordered, potentially processable forms of porous materials without assuming that all framework features disappear when a crystal melts.
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