Hydrophilic carbon monoliths derived from metal-organic frameworks@resorcinol-formaldehyde resin for atmospheric water harvesting

Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is considered a promising technique to address the problem of global water shortage. Adsorption-based AWH technology, has the advantages of a simple device structure, high energy efficiency, wide application range, etc., and has attracted much attention. For the adsorption, one of the key issues is to find high-performance porous adsorbents. Porous carbons have exceptional stability, high porosity and low cost, but are usually highly hydrophobic with a low affinity for polar water molecules. A class of monolithic porous carbons with good hydrophilicity was prepared by the pyrolysis of composites consisting of a metal-organic framework in a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin matrix, in which the metal-organic parts developed polar sites in the final products. AWH tests showed that in a relative humidity of 40%-80%, the water capture capacity of the adsorbents reached 20 wt.%.