Nuclear Energy and Engineering, Inorganic Chemistry, Ceramics and Composites, Materials Chemistry
19
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Macro- and microporous interfaces: Direct MOF growth on geopolymer surfaces Ervin Prozsa, Sabrine Medjouel, Jérémy Audevard, Vanessa Proust, Arnaud Poulesquen, Michaël Carboni Materials Today Communications, 2026 Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are well known for their high porosity, tunable pore structures or their exceptional gas sorption properties, making them promising candidates for a variety of applications. Nevertheless, their integration into practical applications faces challenges, particularly in terms of immobilization on substrates (shaping). This study introduces an innovative approach for the direct growth of MOFs on a geopolymer support, a class of amorphous aluminosilicate materials known for their excellent mechanical strength and chemical stability. The direct growth method of the well-known MOF, based on Zr, Al and Cu respectively named UiO-66, MIL-53 and HKUST-1, has been developed and the final material has been evaluated for gas sorption, notably N 2 O, a powerful ozone-depleting gas. Our results demonstrate the feasibility and versatility of MOF-geopolymer composite, showing the way for the development of advanced adsorbent materials with tailor-made functionalities for a variety of environmental and potentially industrial applications. • Direct growth of MOFs on geopolymer surfaces creates novel GeoMOF composites • UiO-66, MIL-53, and HKUST-1 were successfully grown on geopolymer matrices. • Resulting materials feature a hierarchical macro- and microporous network. • N 2 O adsorption capacity increased by up to 114% compared to the support alone. • This method provides an efficient, scalable shaping strategy for porous materials.
Effects of adding zeolite particles on the hierarchical microstructure of zeolite-geopolymer composites and their Sr2+ adsorption properties Samuel Vannier, Alban Gossard, Lucile Magnier, Vanessa Proust, Thomas David, Agnès Grandjean Materials and Design, 2024 Strontium ions can be removed from wastewater in fixed-bed reactors by adsorption on hierarchical materials (different pore sizes and phases). A detailed understanding of the materials multiscale structure is therefore crucial to optimize their sorption properties. This article presents a multi-technique approach developed to characterize the relationship between microstructure and adsorption in a range of Linde-type A (LTA) zeolite-geopolymer composites,. Two-dimensional scanning electron microscopy and 3D X-ray tomography were used to image the porous and solid phases at different length scales. Advanced numerical methods involving machine learning were applied to segment the images and provide quantitative morphological values describing the porous network geometry and the location and accessibility of the zeolite particles in the geopolymer. These results were then correlated with the materials sorption properties, measured in batch and column processes. Increasing the materials zeolite content (from 0 to 27 wt%) slowed down their adsorption kinetics but increased their maximal adsorption capacities from 20 to 49 mg.g−1 and Sr2+-selectivity at equilibrium. In breakthrough experiments, the material with highest zeolite content had a much higher breakthrough volume passing from 169 to 478 ml in the presented experimental conditions (much higher wastewater decontamination capacity), but a shallower breakthrough curve (lower column efficiency).
Fabrication and Characterization of Hydroxyapatite Water Purification Filter with Continuous Pore Structure Using Polysaccharide as Pore-forming Agent Masako UEMATSU, Kento ISHII, Megumi ITO, Vanessa PROUST, Christopher L. HASSAM, Dalal ASKER, Benjamin D. HATTON, Teiichi KIMURA, Takamasa ISHIGAKI, Tetsuo UCHIKOSHI Funtai Oyobi Fummatsu Yakin Journal of the Japan Society of Powder and Powder Metallurgy, 2024 Securing safe water remains an important global issue. PoU (Point of Use) water purification technology using filter media is promising for treating contaminated water in areas where infrastructure development is difficult. In this study, fabrication of a porous hydroxyapatite (HAp) bulk body with a connected pore structure was attempted as a filter that has the function of purifying water contaminated with microorganisms. HAp exhibits high adsorption properties for various substances such as proteins, bacteria, and viruses. In order to introduce a continuous pore structure into the porous body, corn starch, a polysaccharide, was used as a pore-forming agent. Three-dimensional observation of the internal structure of the porous body using a confocal laser fluorescent microscope and liquid immersion technique revealed a shell-like pore structure derived from the starch and the continuous pore structure inside the porous material. A filtration test of a buffer solution containing Escherichia coli (E. coli) was conducted and the filtrate did not contain detectable concentrations of E. coli. A high virus removal rate was demonstrated in a filtration test of a buffer solution containing human coronavirus. It was demonstrated that hydroxyapatite porous materials have excellent properties for filter applications to purify water contaminated with bacteria and viruses.
Incorporating solvent effects in DFT: insights from cation exchange in faujasites An T. Ta, Ayoub Daouli, R. Seaton Ullberg, Eric Fonseca, Vanessa Proust, Agnès Grandjean, Richard G. Hennig, Hans-Conrad zur Loye, Michael Badawi, Simon R. Phillpot Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2024 Investigation of solvation effects emphasizes the importance of including explicit and implicit solvent for accurate DFT predictions on ion exchange.
Capture Instead of Release: Defect-Modulated Radionuclide Leaching Kinetics in Metal-Organic Frameworks Kyoung Chul Park, Corey R. Martin, Gabrielle A. Leith, Grace C. Thaggard, Gina R. Wilson, Brandon J. Yarbrough, Buddhima K. P. Maldeni Kankanamalage, Preecha Kittikhunnatham, Abhijai Mathur, Isak Jatoi, Mackenzie A. Manzi, Jaewoong Lim, Ingrid Lehman-Andino, Alejandra Hernandez-Jimenez, Jake W. Amoroso, David P. DiPrete, Yuan Liu, Joseph Schaeperkoetter, Scott T. Misture, Simon R. Phillpot, Shenyang Hu, Yulan Li, Antoine Leydier, Vanessa Proust, Agnès Grandjean, Mark D. Smith, Natalia B. Shustova Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2022 Comparison of defect-controlled leaching-kinetics modulation of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and porous functionalized silica-based materials was performed on the example of a radionuclide and radionuclide surrogate for the first time, revealing an unprecedented readsorption phenomenon. On a series of zirconium-based MOFs as model systems, we demonstrated the ability to capture and retain >99% of the transuranic 241Am radionuclide after 1 week of storage. We report the possibility of tailoring radionuclide release kinetics in MOFs through framework defects as a function of postsynthetically installed organic ligands including cation-chelating crown ether-based linkers. Based on comprehensive analysis using spectroscopy (EXAFS, UV-vis, FTIR, and NMR), X-ray crystallography (single crystal and powder), and theoretical calculations (nine kinetics models and structure simulations), we demonstrated the synergy of radionuclide integration methods, topological restrictions, postsynthetic scaffold modification, and defect engineering. This combination is inaccessible in any other material and highlights the advantages of using well-defined frameworks for gaining fundamental knowledge necessary for the advancement of actinide-based material development, providing a pathway for addressing upcoming challenges in the nuclear waste administration sector.
