Gas storage and release using piezoelectric materials

1. An apparatus that is arranged to store a gas and release the gas responsive to the application of an electric field, the apparatus comprising:

a piezoelectric metal-organic framework material;

a first electrode electrically coupled to the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material; and

a second electrode electrically coupled to the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged to control the storage and release of the gas in the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material in response to the application of the electric field.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material comprises a non-centrosymmetric piezoelectric metal-organic framework material.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material comprises one or more of MOF-177, MOF-74, and/or an MOF-74 framework structure with open Zn 2+ sites.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material comprises a 2D laminar homochiral metal-organic framework.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material comprises a piezoelectric metal-organic framework material having the chemical formula (Lig) 2 Tb(H 2 O) 2 (ClO 4 ), wherein Lig corresponds to a ligand comprising one or more of oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, citric acid, trimesic acid, 1,2,3-triazole, pyrrodiazole and/or squaric acid.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material is sandwiched between the first electrode and the second electrode, and wherein the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material has a thickness in the range of about one-hundred microns to about one centimeter.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material, the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged in a spiral configuration.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode and the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material are electrically coupled by being in substantially direct contact.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a power supply coupled across the first electrode and the second electrode;

a vessel, wherein the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material is in the vessel; and

a gas port in the vessel, wherein the gas port is arranged to convey the gas when gas is either released or stored by the apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a controller coupled to the power supply, wherein the controller is arranged to control the application of the electric field across the first and second electrodes with the power supply.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a second piezoelectric metal-organic framework material electrically coupled to the first electrode; and

a third electrode electrically coupled to the second piezoelectric metal-organic framework material.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode comprises a permeable material.

13. An apparatus that is arranged to store a gas and release the gas responsive to the application of an electric field, the apparatus comprising:

a first piezoelectric metal-organic framework material;

a first electrode electrically coupled to the piezoelectric metal-organic framework material;

a second electrode electrically coupled to the first piezoelectric metal-organic framework material;

a second piezoelectric metal-organic framework material electrically coupled to the second electrode; and

a third electrode electrically coupled to the second piezoelectric metal-organic framework material, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode are arranged to control the storage and release of the gas in the first piezoelectric metal-organic framework material and the second piezoelectric metal-organic framework material.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first piezoelectric metal-organic framework material and the second piezoelectric metal-organic framework material comprise different materials.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first piezoelectric metal-organic framework material comprises one or more of MOF-177, MOF-74, an MOF-74 framework structure with open Zn 2+ sites, a 2D laminar homochiral metal-organic framework, and/or a material having the chemical formula (Lig) 2 Tb(H 2 O) 2 (ClO 4 ), wherein Lig representing a ligand including one or more of oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, citric acid, trimesic acid, 1,2,3-triazole, pyrrodiazole and/or squaric acid.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the second electrode is a shared electrode configured to provide a first electric field to the first piezoelectric metal-organic framework material and a second electric filed to the second piezoelectric metal-organic framework material.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first electrode and the first piezoelectric metal-organic framework material are electrically coupled by being in substantially direct contact.