Mosaic

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of highly porous, crystalline solids. MOFs function as ultra-high capacity sponges for gases because the pore surfaces afford a large number of adsorption sites for gas molecules. By changing the chemical properties of these adsorption sites, MOFs can be designed to selectively capture only specific gases from a complex mixture. The chemical tunability and large surface area allow MOFs to outperform other gas separation technologies including distillation and absorption.

CO2 SEPARATIONS

Fossil fuel combustion generates and releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the Earth’s atmosphere. To slow the rate of CO2 emissions, large emitters such as coal and natural gas power plants, could capture the CO2 before it is emitted into the atmosphere. Mosaic Materials is developing a new technology that can dramatically reduce the cost of removing CO2 from gas mixtures. Our technology, originally developed at the University of California, Berkeley, utilizes a cooperative binding process to produce highly selective MOF materials that require significantly less energy than competing technologies. This technology can be used to separate CO2 from nearly any gas mixture, from raw natural gas to recirculated breathing air.

PARAFFIN & OLEFIN SEPARATIONS

In addition to heating our homes and offices, natural gas provides the raw materials necessary to make the chemicals and plastics that make many modern technologies possible. The raw materials for many plastics, especially ethylene and propylene, are found within natural gas. Mosaic Materials is developing a new MOF technology that can replace the energy intensive process currently used to separate these materials from gas mixtures.