Scientists found an easier way to produce a special kind of glass. This new material is made from metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs. MOFs are metal atoms connected by organic molecules that are great at trapping CO₂, hydrogen, and even water.

However, the problem is that MOF glasses soften only at very high temperatures. They get so hot that they are close to the point where they start to degrade.

Researchers from TU Dortmund and the University of Birmingham looked back at an old chemistry trick. They added small amounts of sodium or lithium to the glass. This lowers the temperature when the glass softens and changes how it flows when heated.

“Glass has been part of human civilization for millennia. From ancient Mesopotamia to modern fibre-optic cables, small amounts of chemical modifiers make it easier to process glass and change its functional properties,” Dr Dominik Kubicki from the University of Birmingham explained. “However, MOF glasses soften only at high temperatures – above 300 °C – close to their degradation temperature, making manufacturing challenging and limiting broader use. This discovery unlocks new possibilities for future high-performance materials.”

Custom, Gas-Trapping Glass

Photo: Skrypnykov Dmytro/Shutterstock

One well-known example of this material is ZIF-62, a porous material that can be melted and cooled into glass while keeping some of its internal holes. That makes it perfect for things like gas separation, membranes, and catalysis.

To figure out how the sodium changed the glass, the team used advanced tools. They found that the sodium takes the place of some zinc atoms and loosens up the structure of the glass.

“Our approach is inspired by how conventional silicate glasses have been modified: disrupting the network structure to tune melting behaviour and mechanical properties. Our study shows the same principle can be transferred to hybrid metal-organic glasses,” Professor Sebastian Henke from TU Dortmund University explained.  “This advance brings MOF glasses a step closer to real-world manufacturing and applications in gas separation, storage, catalysis and beyond.”

The researchers used computer modeling to interpret complex data. Now that scientists know how to tweak these materials, they want to do more research. They need to find out how to make the glass more stable and test its uses.