Conditions for the Formation of Microporous Metal–Organic Framework Mil-53(Al)

Conditions of crystallization are determined for the MIL-53 (Al) (AlOHbdc, bdc = benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate) microporous metal–organic framework. Three major factors responsible for the formation of a pure phase of MIL-53(Al) are identified. These include the temperature (above ~120°С) and the nature of the solvent. It is established through powder diffraction that using microwave radiation for the activation of the reaction mass leads to the formation of a material with higher phase purity, in contrast to preparation techniques that employ conventional heating (hydrothermal synthesis and synthesis under atmospheric pressure).