Novel technique for improving the water adsorption isotherms of metal-organic frameworks for performance enhancement of adsorption driven chillers

Thermally driven adsorption-driven chillers (ADCs) is the emerging technology for reducing primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission by utilizing solar energy and waste heat from various sources. The key element of these ADCs is the adsorbent materials; the performance of the systems heavily depends upon the properties of the adsorbents. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are becoming the most promising adsorbent for having a high surface area, tunability, and generating S-shaped isotherms while pairing with water. In this study, MOF aluminum fumarate was synthesized using a novel environmental-friendly route and doped with two different metallic ions (Co²⁺, Ni²⁺). Various material characterization experiments were completed to check structural integrity. Additionally, a comparative investigation of water adsorption at 30 °C and 60 °C were reported for commercial aluminum fumarate and three new synthesized samples. The investigation shows a significant improvement of water uptake in the lower relative pressure region (P/Po < 0.3) for all the synthesized and doped samples.