Influence of Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids on the Electrosynthesis of CuBDC Type Metal-Organic Frameworks: Crystallite Size and Productivity

The influence of imidazolium- and ammonium-based room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) i.e., [bmim][BF₄], [bmim][DCA], and MTBS, respectively, as electrolytes on the crystallite size and productivity of CuBDC (BDC=1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) type metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) by electrosynthesis method via anodic dissolution was investigated. CuBDC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and nitrogen physisorption. The crystallite size and productivity of CuBDC using [bmim][BF₄], [bmim][DCA], MTBS as electrolytes were 24.7 nm, 22.1 nm, 20.5 nm, and 236 mg/h, 69 mg/h, 291 mg/h, respectively. Bulkier structure of ammonium-based RTILs resulted CuBDC with a smaller crystallite size and higher productivity compared to imidazolium-based RTILs