Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are well suited as nanoporous materials for applications such as gas
storage, catalysis and in medical devices. Literature predominantly covers information on the batch synthesis
of MOF-5, however, for an industrially viable product to be formed, bridging the gap to scalable
continuous processing is essential. Here, we show that crystals of MOF-5 can be formed in a scalable
solvothermal continuous process with a maximum space time yield of nearly 1000 kg m3 day1
.
Analysis of the solid output as a function of time, in conjunction with variation of concentration of the
feed supply, shows high purity MOF-5 is produced using a continuous system, with potentially high
throughput on scale up. We also show that the output can be increased by increasing the concentration
of reactants in the system, albeit resulting in a reduced surface area. The two most common solvents currently
used for MOF-5 production are also compared to identify a more economically viable process