Futuristic drama takes look at climate change

The following is an interview with Clarkson University Professor of Chemistry Mario Wriedt whose research explores how chemistry design strategies for porous materials can capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and mitigate the effects on ocean acidification. Wriedt will share his insights July 21 for Beacon Institute’s Science Café at The Hop, at 554 Main St. in Beacon.

As a chemistry research professor, how did you go about applying your work with advanced porous materials to the idea of capturing carbon dioxide? Did you follow a hunch based on your knowledge of molecular structures?

Everything starts with an idea. In this case, we are exploring possibilities for reducing the impacts of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on the earth’s atmosphere and oceans by capturing CO2 with advanced porous materials. As you may know, these emissions are actually changing the chemistry of seawater and threatening marine ecosystems around the world.

I was originally fascinated by advanced porous materials, also known as metal organic frameworks or MOFs, because they are like Legos that enable you to build structures. It’s a building-block approach only here you’re assembling millions of molecules instead of plastic pieces. In both cases, you’re using building blocks to construct all kinds of different frameworks to meet the needs of your idea. With advanced porous materials we can create whatever we want on the molecular level. Literally.

Now, to meet our challenge of captivating CO2 we have to know things like its size, structure and electronic properties in order to tailor the MOF structure to our needs. Fortunately we happen to know everything about CO2. Having the knowledge of both CO2 and MOFs enables us to build the MOFs and captivate CO2.

Our next move is to take what we know and move to the lab where we first synthesize the building block and assemble the MOF framework. Testing the MOF for its carbon capture properties is our moment of truth. If it doesn’t perform as we originally expected then we go back to the lab and modify it. The process works well because this building block approach allows us to adjust and optimize the framework to suit our needs.

To realize the potential for porous materials to solve a real-world problem, how much depends on having an inherent understanding of how chemicals behave?

Based on what we learned in the previous answer, we know we can devise a metal organic framework (MOF) in the lab, and because we know about CO2, we think we can tailor the design of this MOF to capture CO2. Now it’s a matter of measuring the carbon capture behavior/properties and testing for effectiveness. Let’s say we’re not happy with the findings. I mentioned before that we can go back to the lab and modify the structure. How do we go about doing this? This is a big deal actually. We use a modern X-ray diffraction instrument to analyze the connectivity of not just molecules, but atoms; we can see atoms with X-ray diffraction.

Only with these advanced techniques are we able to see the structure. It’s a key step in our ability to draw a connection between the structure and the property, or behavior, of CO2; it’s called the structure-property relationship. Only if we figure this out we can go back to the lab and modify the structure. If we do not know how a certain structure behaves then we can’t modify it. We always need to know the property relationship in order to advance all materials.

X-ray diffraction has come a long way since the original instruments of the mid-20th century. To put this in perspective, when my Ph.D. supervisor was a grad student it took several months of shooting x-rays on a crystal for him to know its structure. And for his Ph.D. adviser it was literally a life-long project. For my Ph.D. project six years back this same process took me three to four days. Today, the instrument I have in my lab takes me a few hours. It is only because of these advancements in technology that we can have an optimization of the materials with a very quick turnaround time. These kinds of improvements provide tremendous support for our work in the lab. With continued success, we hope our work with advanced porous materials will help reduce the impacts of CO2 emissions and improve the health of marine ecosystems around the world now threatened by ocean acidification. MOFs can do great things!

Terry Platz is the director of communications of the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries of Clarkson University. Contact her at myvalley@poughkeepsiejournal.com; visitwww.bire.org

If you go

What: “The Role of Holes in Climate Change” with Clarkson University Professor of Chemistry Mario Wriedt

When: 7 p.m., July 21

Where: The Hop craft beer hub, 554 Main St., Beacon

Admission: Free; food and drink available for purchase; advance online registration requested

Information: To register, visit www.bire.org/events; for information, contact Terry Platz at 845-838-1600, ext. 15