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NETL Research Paper is One of the Most Popular Articles in Materials Advances

Materials Advances, an international research publication dedicated to materials science breakthroughs, reported that a paper authored by three NETL researchers was one of the most popular articles published in its journal over the past year.

James Ellis, Ph.D.; Scott Crawford, Ph.D.; and Ki-Joong Kim, Ph.D. are support contractors at NETL. Their work is advancing research on sensing materials for use in a wide range of fields beyond the energy sector. They collaborated on a manuscript titled “Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films as Versatile Chemical Sensing Materials.”

After the manuscript was published in Materials Advances, a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal, it attracted wide attention. The high number of citations, article downloads, and altmetric scores led the publication to select it to appear in a special virtual themed collection that celebrates material science in the U.S. Altmetrics measure the reach and impact of scholarship and research through online interactions.

The manuscript focused on metal-organic framework (MOF) thin films, which are made of metal ions linked together organically that can create highly porous structures like microscopic sponges. MOFs are of particular interest because of their tunable porosity, chemical functionalities, and optical and electrical properties.

MOFs for sensor applications have great potential to reduce costs and environmental impacts compared to currently used sensors. Currently, instruments used to detect traces of a specific gas in the air are often large, expensive and energy intensive. MOFs are a potential way to make small, inexpensive and energy-efficient gas sensors. Using different metal atoms and organic linkers, researchers can make materials that selectively absorb specific gases, vapors, liquids and metal ions into specially created pockets within the sensing structure. Like sponges, MOFs often have high surface areas. 

“The manuscript discussed the importance of MOF thin films, analyzed and compared different fabrication methods, and discussed optical fiber, electrochemical, quartz crystal microbalances and other platforms,” Kim explained.

Ellis said the work also provided “an overview of current barriers and potential future innovations. Taken together, the review article provides a foundation for other researchers to design high-performance sensors for a range of energy-relevant applications.”

According to Crawford, “MOF thin film technologies have the potential to significantly benefit energy, manufacturing, environmental and medical sectors. Fulfilling this potential requires continued synthetic innovations to stabilize MOF thin films in harsh environments, strategies for mass production of thin films, and continued innovations in the development of sensing techniques and platforms.”

In addition to displaying great potential for aspects of carbon capture, MOFs are attractive for biomedical applications, assisting with removal of heavy metals from water and a range of other applications.

Ellis is a research scientist for Leidos Inc., at NETL. He earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and served as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education postdoctoral researcher at NETL.

Crawford is an analytical chemist for Leidos at NETL. He earned his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. He served as a Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship.

Kim is a research scientist with LRST at NETL. He earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Sunchon National University, South Korea. At NETL, he is involved in development of sensing materials for carbon dioxide monitoring in carbon storage applications and methane leak detection in natural gas infrastructure.

Materials Advances is a part of the Journal of Materials Chemistry family, which targets readers in the materials chemistry community. The publication has a large international audience and is sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry, which was chartered in 1848 to advance excellence in the chemical sciences.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.