Multivariate MOF for optimizing atmospheric water harvesting

Atmospheric water harvesting offers a powerful and promising solution to address the problem of global freshwater scarcity. In the past decade, significant progress has been achieved in utilizing hydrolytically stable metal–organic frameworks as recyclable water-sorbent materials under low relative humidity, especially in those arid areas. Recently, Yaghi's group has employed a combined crystallographic and theoretical technique to decipher the water filling mechanism in MOF-303, where the polar organic linkers rather than the inorganic units of MOF are demonstrated as the key factor. Hence, the hydrophilic strength of the water-binding pocket in MOFs can be optimized through the approach of multivariate modulations, resulting in enhanced water harvesting properties.