LAUSR

Abstract The use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for adsorption cooling has won increasing research interests due to their outstanding adsorption performance. Zr-MOFs with relatively stable water stability and distinct structure properties are potential adsorbents for cooling. In this work, three Zr-MOFs: UiO-66, UiO-67 and NU-1000 with varying pore sizes were synthesized, and their water and ethanol adsorption isotherms were measured. The specific cooling effects (SCE) and coefficient of performance (COP) of MOF/water and MOF/ethanol working pairs in adsorption cooling system (ACS) were evaluated by adsorption system modeling. The results revealed that the MOFs with small pores and low steps (P/P0) (i.e. UiO-66) in isotherms are favorable for water working fluid, which can achieve high SCE and COP at relative low temperatures. In contrast, MOFs with large pores and suitable steps (i.e. NU-1000) is preferential for ethanol working fluid due to the high uptake. Although water working fluid generally exhibited higher SCE and COP than ethanol, MOF/ethanol outperformed MOF/water because the equivalent cooling performance can be achieved at low temperature as well as the high recycle stability of MOFs/ethanol working pairs.