# MOF-801: water from desert air

> MOF-801 is a zirconium fumarate with the same net as UiO-66 and small pores that fill with water over a narrow range of low humidity. A layer of it in a simple box takes up water from the air at night; by day, sunlight warms it, the vapour condenses on a cooler surface and drips out as liquid. With ambient sunlight only, this gave 2.8 litres of water per kilogram of MOF per day at 20% relative humidity.

- Page: https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/metal-organic-frameworks/mof-801-water-harvesting
- Open in the LabCanvas editor (LabCanvas account): https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?template=mof801-water-harvesting
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Metal–organic frameworks
- Method: Water harvesting, bottom-up
- Starting materials: Zirconium oxychloride octahydrate and fumaric acid in DMF/formic acid
- Product: MOF-801, Zr₆O₄(OH)₄(fumarate)₆: microporous, water-stable powder
- Key result: 2.8 L of water per kg of MOF per day at 20% relative humidity, powered by ambient sunlight (Kim et al. 2017)
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 82 editable layers (13 generated objects with settings)

## Steps

1. **Solvothermal**: ZrOCl₂·8H₂O and fumaric acid in DMF with formic acid, 130 °C (Furukawa et al. 2014)
2. **Framework**: Zr₆O₄(OH)₄ clusters joined by fumarate: the 12-connected fcu net of UiO-66 with a shorter linker
3. **Water isotherm**: S-shaped: most of the uptake over a narrow range at low relative humidity (Furukawa et al. 2014)
4. **Night**: Cool night air: water fills the pores of the MOF layer
5. **Day**: Sunlight heats the MOF; the vapour condenses on the cooler condenser and liquid water collects (Kim et al. 2017)

## Strengths

- Works at low humidity, where dew harvesting fails
- No energy input other than sunlight
- Water-stable zirconium framework

## Limitations

- Litres per kilogram of MOF per day: large MOF masses for drinking-water volumes
- Output depends on the day–night humidity and temperature swing

## Uses

- Drinking water in arid regions
- Adsorption-driven heat pumps and dehumidification

## References

1. Kim et al., “Water harvesting from air with metal-organic frameworks powered by natural sunlight”, Science 2017. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam8743 (primary)
2. Furukawa et al., “Water Adsorption in Porous Metal–Organic Frameworks and Related Materials”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja500330a (method origin)

Credit: Redrawn and simplified after Kim et al., Science 2017 (doi:10.1126/science.aam8743) and Furukawa et al., JACS 2014 (doi:10.1021/ja500330a). Isotherm and device schematic.

## Questions

**What does the “MOF-801: water from desert air” template show?** MOF-801 is a zirconium fumarate with the same net as UiO-66 and small pores that fill with water over a narrow range of low humidity. A layer of it in a simple box takes up water from the air at night; by day, sunlight warms it, the vapour condenses on a cooler surface and drips out as liquid. With ambient sunlight only, this gave 2.8 litres of water per kilogram of MOF per day at 20% relative humidity.

**What are the steps shown in “MOF-801: water from desert air”?** 1. Solvothermal: ZrOCl₂·8H₂O and fumaric acid in DMF with formic acid, 130 °C (Furukawa et al. 2014). 2. Framework: Zr₆O₄(OH)₄ clusters joined by fumarate: the 12-connected fcu net of UiO-66 with a shorter linker. 3. Water isotherm: S-shaped: most of the uptake over a narrow range at low relative humidity (Furukawa et al. 2014). 4. Night: Cool night air: water fills the pores of the MOF layer. 5. Day: Sunlight heats the MOF; the vapour condenses on the cooler condenser and liquid water collects (Kim et al. 2017).

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: Zirconium oxychloride octahydrate and fumaric acid in DMF/formic acid. Product: MOF-801, Zr₆O₄(OH)₄(fumarate)₆: microporous, water-stable powder.

**Which papers is “MOF-801: water from desert air” based on?** Kim et al., “Water harvesting from air with metal-organic frameworks powered by natural sunlight”, Science 2017 (doi:10.1126/science.aam8743); Furukawa et al., “Water Adsorption in Porous Metal–Organic Frameworks and Related Materials”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014 (doi:10.1021/ja500330a).

**Can I edit the “MOF-801: water from desert air” template?** Yes. Open it in the LabCanvas editor: all 82 layers are editable, including 13 generated objects (structures, plots, equipment) with their own settings. Change the text, colours and layout, then export PNG, TIFF, SVG or PDF.

**Do I need an account to use this template?** Not to view it here. To open and edit it, sign in to LabCanvas or create a free account (the free plan keeps one design of each kind). Downloading the figure is part of LabCanvas Pro (US$19 a month or US$199 a year).