Green Synthesis of Nickel Terephthalate MOF at Room Temperature for the Catalysis of Hydrogen Generation

In this study, the metal salt, Ni(II) Chloride, was reacted to the organic ligands of disodium terephthalate (C8H4Na2O4) to synthesize the nickel terephthalate complex as metal organic framework (Ni-MOF) in aqueous media. The Ni-MOF was synthesized at room temperature (RT), with crystal formation occurring instantly and continuing to increase for up to a week. The catalytic efficiency of the Ni-MOF catalyst was also tested in aqueous solution with sodium borohydride. Reduction of sodium borohydride via the Ni-MOF showed an overall increase in hydrogen production over the metal-salt catalyst with increased volumes of 43.56 mL to 70.03 mL for the MOF at 303 K. The rates of reaction were also increased for the Ni-MOF over the nickel metal salt from 0.006 min-1 to 0.02 min-1 as a second order reaction.