Microfluidic Synthesis ofMOFsandMOF‐Based Membranes

Porous organic-inorganic materials having most of important properties of zeolites and some new functions, particularly the so-called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are suitable to elucidate the benefits from the microfluidic synthetic approach. MOFs are promising materials used in a wide variety of areas (i.e. encapsulation, drug delivery, sensing, coating, gas storage, etc.), also including their application as add-ons in membranes for a gas separation performance enhancement. Microfluidics has emerged a very favorable technique for the fabrication of MOF materials in any forms: powdered, taking part of complex structures, or forming continuous layers in membranes. The use of microfluidics in the crystallization of MOF powders implies a significant reduction of costs in terms of reagents and solvents, more emphasized in the preparation of MOF-based hollow fiber membranes. The creation of a continuous MOF layer by microfluidics in a very sustainable way would improve the membrane performance in gas or liquid mixture separation and put it in an attractive situation.