System and process for continuous and controlled production of metal-organic frameworks and metal-organic framework composites

A continuous method for making Metal Organic Framework (MOF) composites that include a core and a shell about the core, the method comprising:

• in one series of steps (1a-5a), step 1a, providing a first MOF solution of a first MOF precursor and a first solvent, wherein the first MOF precursor comprises a salt of a metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, aluminum and chromium, and a linker selected from the group consisting of a terephthalic acid (MIL-101 or MIL-53), and a dihydoxyterephthalic acid (MOF-74);
• step 2a, forming a plume of aerosolized liquid droplets of the first MOF solution;
• step 3a, suspending the aerosolized liquid droplets of the first MOF solution in a carrier gas in a fluidized bed reactor;
• step 4a, condensing the aerosolized liquid droplets of the first MOF solution to form seed MOF particles;
• step 5a, removing the first solvent from the MOF seed particles to form cores of the MOF composites;
• in another series of steps (1b-3b), step 1b, providing a second MOF solution of a second MOF precursor and a second solvent, wherein the second MOF precursor comprises a Ni-salt and a dihydroxyterephthalic acid (MOF-74);
• step 2b, forming a plume of aerosolized liquid droplets of the second MOF solution;
• step 3b, suspending the aerosolized liquid droplets of the second MOF solution in the carrier gas in the fluidized bed reactor;
• and further, condensing the aerosolized liquid droplets of the second MOF solution of the step 3b to form the shell onto the existing MOF cores of the step 5a to form the MOF composites;
• removing the second solvent from the MOF composites, wherein the MOF composites are from 200 um to 1500 um in size.