A centuries-old glassmaking strategy has helped researchers unlock new ways to engineer futuristic MOF glasses with promising applications in gas storage and advanced materials.
Scientists have applied a centuries-old chemistry concept to improve a new class of glass made from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), materials built from metal atoms linked by organic molecules. These glasses can trap gases such as CO₂ and hydrogen and can also absorb water.
The international research team, which included scientists from TU Dortmund University and the University of Birmingham, published its findings in Nature Chemistry. The study shows that MOF glasses can be adjusted and engineered using methods similar to those used for conventional glass.
The researchers found that adding small sodium- or lithium-containing compounds changes both the structure and properties of the material. These additives reduce the temperature at which the glass softens and improve how easily it flows when heated, potentially simplifying manufacturing.
The results establish a new strategy for designing customized MOF glasses for advanced technologies. Possible uses include gas separation, chemical storage, and specialized coatings.
Lowering Processing Temperatures
Dr. Dominik Kubicki from the University of Birmingham said: “Glass has been part of human civilization for millennia. From ancient Mesopotamia to modern fiber-optic cables, small amounts of chemical modifiers make it easier to process glass and change its functional properties.
“However, MOF glasses soften only at high temperatures – above 300 °C (572 °F) – close to their degradation temperature, making manufacturing challenging and limiting broader use. This discovery unlocks new possibilities for future high-performance materials.”
One of the most well-known MOF glasses is ZIF-62, a porous material that can be melted and cooled into glass while preserving some of its internal porosity. That characteristic makes it promising for gas separation, membranes, and catalysis.
Professor Sebastian Henke from TU Dortmund University said: “Our approach is inspired by how conventional silicate glasses have been modified: disrupting the network structure to tune melting behavior and mechanical properties.
“Our study shows the same principle can be transferred to hybrid metal-organic glasses. This advance brings MOF glasses a step closer to real-world manufacturing and applications in gas separation, storage, catalysis, and beyond.”
Revealing the Glass Structure
To understand how sodium additives change the internal structure of the glass, the researchers used advanced characterization methods.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham, led by Drs. Dominik Kubicki and Benjamin Gallant, carried out atomic-level studies of the modified material. The team also performed high-temperature solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments at the UK High-Field Solid-State NMR Facility.
These experiments showed how sodium ions become incorporated into the glass network and disrupt its connections.
Another Birmingham team, led by Professor Andrew Morris and Dr. Mario Ongkiko, used AI-driven computational modeling to analyze the complex NMR data. Machine-learning-assisted simulations revealed how sodium interacts with the glass structure and confirmed the experimental findings.
The combined results showed that sodium does more than occupy empty spaces inside the material. It can replace some zinc atoms, slightly loosening the structure and altering the material’s behavior.
The researchers say further work is needed to improve the stability of these glasses, better predict their properties, and evaluate how well they perform in practical technologies.
Reference: “Alkali-ion-modified zeolitic imidazolate framework glasses” by Pascal Kolodzeiski, Benjamin M. Gallant, Lennard Richter, Mario Antonio T. Ongkiko, Carlo Franke, Aleksander Kostka, Wen-Long Xue, Chinmoy Das, Jan-Benedikt Weiß, Elena Kolodzeiski, Thomas Kress, Gregor Kieslich, Tong Li, Andrew J. Morris, Dominik Kubicki and Sebastian Henke, 4 May 2026, Nature Chemistry.
DOI: 10.1038/s41557-026-02115-8
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