Researchers from the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Energy (IMDEA Energy) and from the Madrid Institute for Materials Science (ICMM-CSIC) have participated in the development of a new nanoporous material made from calcium.

In recent years, new types of porous materials called MOF (Metal-Organic Framework) have made great advances in the field of research. MOFs are materials formed by a linker (organic molecule) and a metal, which together form porous tridimensional structures. In this way they have considerably greater surface areas than traditional materials, and take on different properties thanks to their porosity. These new materials have proven to be highly effective in storing hydrogen, absorbing gases such as CO2, drug elution and as a catalyst in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Thanks to their enormous experience in this field, and as a result of the work carried out by researchers at the Madrid Institute for Materials Science (ICMM-CSIC), together with those from IMDEA Energy, one of the first MOF materials based on calcium has been developed (Ca-MOF).

This new Ca-MOF has proven to be highly effective as a catalyst in processes of hydrogenation. Catalysts in hydrogenation processes are used by the pharmaceutical, petrochemical and food industries, as well as in the production of plastics. Currently, industrial catalysts are mostly based on precious metals (Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium) which are expensive and highly contaminating. Ca-MOF is thus an interesting alternative to such industrial catalysts, thanks to its ease of manufacture, low cost and environmental friendliness.