Metal–Organic Framework–Polyacrylonitrile Composite Beads for Xenon Capture

Mechanically robust forms of HKUST-1 metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were fabricated by embedding the MOF crystals in a passive polyacrylonitrile (PAN) matrix at different MOF loadings of 10–90 mass %. PAN is highly porous and acts as a scaffold that holds the active MOF adsorbent in place. These MOF–PAN composites were then evaluated for capturing Xe. Data presented herein show that the PAN matrix does not notably interfere with the Xe capture process, where the Xe capacities scale somewhat linearly with the increase in MOF loadings within the composites. Also, γ radiation exposures to the composites revealed that they are highly tolerant to these types of radiation fields.