Researchers at the Northwestern University have developed two synthetic materials named NU-109 and NU-110 that claim to break the record of materials with the largest surface area. The new materials belong to a class of crystalline nano-structures known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). According to the Northwester University article, the internal surface area of NU-110 of the size of a grain of salt unfolded, can easily cover a desktop. In other words, the internal surface area of 1 gram of the NU-110 material would be enough to cover one and a half football grounds. Amazing, isn't it?



The research on these materials was led by Omar Farha ( Associate Professor of Chemistry at Weinberg College of Arts and Science). Farha and his team simulated the behavoior of two MOFs to display the largest experimental Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (aka BET, an analysis technique) surface area of any porous material to date. One Kg of the material could cover 7 sqkm area.

But the achievement isn't making the researchers complacent. The team believes that they could double the internal surface area by modifying the designs of the materials. We wish the team all the best!

Further Reading: Northwestern Researchers Set World Record for Highest Surface Area Material | News | Northwestern Engineering