When a porous solid retains its properties in liquid form

Known for their exceptional porosity that enables the trapping or transport of molecules, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) take the form of a powder, which makes them difficult to format. For the first time, an international team led by scientists from the Institut de recherche de Chimie Paris (CNRS/Chimie ParisTech) has evidenced the surprising ability of a type of MOF to retain its porous properties in the liquid and then glass state. Published today in Nature Materials, these findings open the way towards new industrial applications.