Anyanwu et al. (2026): MOF-74: A leading contender for direct air capture, navigating the path from promise to practicality
John O Anyanwu, Sarah A Johnson, Stanley C Ukanero, IN: ResearchGate, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-026-00680-5
The urgent need for negative emissions technologies has positioned Direct Air Capture (DAC) as a critical climate solution, yet the ultra-dilute nature of atmospheric CO₂ demands adsorbents with exceptional affinity and selectivity. Among these, the metal-organic framework MOF-74 has emerged as a leading contender, renowned for its record-high CO₂ uptake at low pressures, driven by a high density of open metal sites (OMS). This review critically assesses the journey of MOF-74 from its promising intrinsic properties toward practical DAC application. The authors elucidate the central paradox of the material: the very OMS that grant its superior CO₂ capacity also render it highly susceptible to hydrolytic degradation in ambient humidity, creating a significant practicality gap.