Porous materials such as Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have the potential to be used across a range of applications and industries for their ability to selectively adsorb/store gas molecules and catalyse reactions. The presence of active sites in porous materials can control and affect significantly their performance in adsorption and catalysis. However, fine tuning of the active sites and revealing the interactions between substrate and active sites in porous materials with atomic precision remains a challenging task. MOF materials adopt uniform and well-defined structures, are designable, and can show exceptional structural diversity, enabling the control of active sites at atomic precision.

Dr Ma's work focusses on designing new MOFs by creating structural defects and introducing single-atom metal sites. Introducing these defects changes the properties of a MOF material, increasing its specificity in capturing particular gases or catalysing reactions of interest. His work encompasses a range of environmental and energy applications including ammonia and nitrogen dioxide capture, and the catalysis of methane and carbon dioxide conversion.

Dr Ma uses neutron diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering alongside other techniques to determine the structure of these defective MOFs with atomic-level detail. Neutron techniques give a unique insight into the interaction between the MOF materials and any adsorbed molecules, as well as any reactions taking place. This enables Dr Ma and his colleagues to build up a picture of how certain structural characteristics influence the behaviour of a MOF, enabling them to design new materials with improved properties.

In the field of gas adsorption, Dr Ma has reported materials that show high levels of reversible ammonia adsorption, determining the unique way that the ammonia molecules bind to the active Cu(II) sites present in the material. Another significant study reported a MOF that could catalyse the reduction of NO₂ without the use of any additional reductants. NO₂ is a significant contributor to air pollution, so these findings are extremely relevant, and have attracted industrial interest from chemicals company Johnson Matthey.

Dr Ma and his colleagues have also used in situ neutron techniques to study a MOF that can directly and efficiently convert methane to ethylene and acetylene. This work was highlighted by the JACS Editor as the Front Cover Article (right) and highlighted by ChemistryViews as a breakthrough technology for a sustainable future.

These are just some of the applications of Dr Ma's work, whic​h spans a wide range of applications. From capturing environmental pollutants to catalytic conversion of waste gases into useful chemicals and fuels, his research has a significant impact on the development of new MOF materials for clean air and sustainable energy. 

For further reading on Dr Ma's work, read our science highlight from 2022, which features his work and that of his colleagues, or follow the links below to his recent publications.

https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c03935; https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c00952; https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c03036; https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202207259; https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202302602; https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CC01197B; https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c06414; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2023.02.002​