Synthesis and characterization of glass composites containing glass MOFs

• Grant number: 25/12071-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Danilo Manzani
• Grantee: Gustavo Borlina Basso
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In recent decades, hybrid organic-inorganic materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have gained increasing attention due to their highly porous and versatile structures. Although the crystalline nature of MOFs provides several advantageous structural properties, they often exhibit mechanical and structural fragilities that limit their applications. One strategy to overcome these limitations involves the development of amorphous or glassy MOFs, which offer greater mechanical strength, processability, and the possibility of being obtained in bulk form. Vitrification of MOFs can occur through various routes, with melt-quenching being the most common. However, due to the frequent decomposition of organic ligands before melting, alternative techniques such as desolvation-induced amorphization or mechanochemistry are also explored. Among the metal centers that form MOFs, rare-earth ions (including the lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium) stand out due to their unique spectroscopic properties arising from 4f-4f electronic transitions, which result in efficient and well-defined luminescence. These features enable applications in sensors, LEDs, and bioimaging. On the other hand, inorganic glasses, such as phosphate glasses, are versatile materials widely used for various purposes, offering advantageous properties such as high thermal resistance, optical transparency, and compositional tunability. They are promising as host matrices for MOFs, enabling the formation of MOF-glass composites that can preserve the intrinsic characteristics of MOFs. Therefore, the combination of phosphate glasses with MOFs containing rare-earth ions as metal centers represents a new frontier in the development of advanced functional materials. These hybrid systems hold great potential for applications in photonics, sensing, and solid-state lasers, offering enhanced luminescent efficiency and stability for emerging technological devices. (AU)