Scientists have adapted a chemistry technique used in traditional glassmaking to improve a futuristic material known as metal-organic framework (MOF) glass. These materials are made from metal atoms connected by organic molecules and are valued for their ability to trap gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and even capture water.
The international research team, which included scientists from TU Dortmund and the University of Birmingham, reported the findings in Nature Chemistry on May 4. Their work shows that MOF glasses can be adjusted and engineered using methods similar to those long used for conventional glass.
Researchers found that introducing small chemical compounds containing sodium or lithium changes both the structure and behavior of the material. The additives lower the temperature at which the glass softens and make it flow more easily when heated, which could simplify manufacturing.
The discovery creates a new framework for designing customized MOF glasses for advanced technologies. Potential applications include gas separation, chemical storage, advanced coatings, and clean energy systems.
Dr. Dominik Kubicki from the University of Birmingham said: “Glass has been part of human civilization for millennia. From ancient Mesopotamia to modern fiber-optic cables, small amounts of chemical modifiers make it easier to process glass and change its functional properties.
“However, MOF glasses soften only at high temperatures — above 300 °C — close to their degradation temperature, making manufacturing challenging and limiting broader use. This discovery unlocks new possibilities for future high-performance materials.”
Sodium Changes the Structure of MOF Glass
One of the best-known MOF glasses is ZIF-62, a porous material that can be melted and cooled into a glass while still keeping some of its internal pores. Those pores make it useful for applications such as gas separation, membranes, and catalysis.
Professor Sebastian Henke from TU Dortmund University explained: “Our approach is inspired by how conventional silicate glasses have been modified: disrupting the network structure to tune melting behavior and mechanical properties.
“Our study shows the same principle can be transferred to hybrid metal-organic glasses. This advance brings MOF glasses a step closer to real-world manufacturing and applications in gas separation, storage, catalysis and beyond.”
To understand exactly how the sodium additives altered the material, researchers used advanced analysis techniques. Scientists at the University of Birmingham, led by Drs. Dominik Kubicki and Benjamin Gallant, carried out atomic-level studies of the modified glass structure and conducted high-temperature solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments at the UK High-Field Solid-State NMR Facility.
Their work revealed how sodium ions become integrated into the glass network and weaken some of the connections inside the structure.
AI Modeling Reveals Atomic-Level Changes
Another Birmingham team, led by Professor Andrew Morris and Dr. Mario Ongkiko, used AI-driven computational modeling to help interpret the complex NMR data. Machine-learning-assisted simulations showed how sodium interacted with the glass at the atomic level, confirming the experimental results.
The combined experimental and computational findings showed that sodium does more than simply occupy empty spaces inside the material. Instead, some sodium atoms replace zinc atoms, slightly loosening the glass structure and changing its properties.
Now that scientists better understand how to modify these materials, researchers say additional work is needed to improve their stability, predict their behavior more accurately, and evaluate their performance in real-world technologies.
The study involved researchers from Technische Universität Dortmund, the University of Birmingham, Ruhr-University Bochum, SRM University-AP, the Technical University of Munich, and the University of Cambridge.