Water vapor sorption kinetics in metal-organic frameworks for moisture control applications

The increasing demand for thermal comfort in buildings has led to a dramatic rise in air conditioning (AC) usage worldwide. The number of HVAC systems is expected to triple by 2050, significantly increasing global energy consumption and environmental impact. However, the impact of humidity on greenhouse gas emissions from ACS is often overlooked, even though it can contribute more significantly to emissions than temperature control alone [4]. To address this challenge, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising sorbents for passive or low-energy dehumidification, offering a pathway to more sustainable and energy-efficient indoor climate control.

Understanding sorption kinetics is essential to evaluate how fast MOFs can respond to humidity changes, which is an important factor for their integration into real-world HVAC systems operating under dynamic conditions.