MACADEMIA is an EU-funded project that brings together research and industry experience to develop the use of metal organic frameworks in industrial processes.

Metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, are extremely porous structures made up of metal oxide joints and organic struts.

The first MOF was produced in 1998 and since then, their potential for industrial applications has attracted a lot of interest.

The strong chemical bonds that hold a MOF together is what allows the structure to remain firm but also to be incredibly empty inside. A single gram of a MOF can have a surface area equivalent to a football pitch.

One of the major applications for metal organic frameworks is storing gases. The porous material can trap and store carbon, offering a potential technology for carbon capture and storage.

As well as carbon storage, MOFs may be able to play a part in industrial separation processes for gases, vapours and liquids as well as catalysis. MACADEMIA aims to demonstrate how MOFs can play a role in such processes.

Read the Project Brief here.