Thermal decompositions and heat capacities study of a co-based zeolitic imidazolate framework

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), a sub-class of metal–organic frameworks, have also been intensively investigated in many fields because of the excellent thermal stability. However, the thermal decomposition and heat capacity of ZIFs were little studied. ZIF-67 was very classical which has been widely used for CO2 capture and gas separation, and its derivatives were widely applied in energy storage and conversion. Herein, the thermal decomposition process of ZIF-67 and its intermediates were studied. Moreover, the molar heat capacity and the thermodynamic functions of ZIF-67 were explored for the first time. The molar heat capacity increased as the temperature increased in the temperature range of 296–352 K.