MSE Grad Talks: Savannah Schisler

Speaker: Savannah Schisler, Boston University

Title: Experimentally Examining the Thermal Properties of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Gas Adsorption

Abstract: Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a porous crystalline material that consists of metal sites and organic ligands. MOFs offer incredibly high internal surface area per gram that is of particular interest to the direct air capture of carbon dioxide (CO2). Gas adsorption is an exothermic process, which can result in large temperature spikes, potentially self-limiting adsorption or accelerating material degradation if the heat is not removed effectively. However, if gas desorption, an endothermic process, occurs too quickly the lower steady-state temperature can limit the capture capacity of the adsorbent and the efficiency of regeneration. Therefore, understanding the thermal properties of MOFs is of paramount importance within these applications. Despite this, research focusing on the thermal properties of MOFs is limited. Within this work, we experimentally study the thermal properties of carbon-capture absorbents, particularly Mg2(dobpdc) (H4(dobpdc) = 4,4’-dihydroxy-(1,1’-biphenyl)-3,3’-dicarboxylic acid) and Mg2(dobpdc)-343 (N,N′-bis(3-aminopropyl)-1,4diaminobutane) powder beds in Argon, Nitrogen, Helium, and CO2 environments utilizing the Transient Plane Source Method. Here, I will discuss the bulk thermal properties of Mg2(dobpdc) and Mg2(dobpdc)-343 and compare them to predictions within the literature. Our work provides the first experimental thermal property findings for these MOFs, which aims to develop a deeper understanding of the thermal transport in porous adsorbents utilized for the capture of CO2, fundamentally leading to more energy and thermally efficient use for these technologies.

Bio: Savannah Schisler is a fourth year Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering, working with Professor Sean Lubner at Boston University. She is currently a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow and was awarded the Distinguished Mechanical Engineering Fellowship from Boston University in 2022. Her research examines multi-scale thermal transport in metal-organic frameworks for gas adsorption applications.