Defect Engineering: Tuning the Porosity and Composition of the Metal-Organic Framework UiO-66 via Modulated Synthesis

Presented in this paper is a deep investigation into the defect chemistry of UiO-66 when synthesized in the presence of monocarboxylic acid modulators under the most commonly employed conditions. We unequivocally demonstrate that missing cluster defects are the predominant defect and that their concentration (and thus the porosity and composition of the material) can be tuned to a remarkable extent by altering the concentration and/or acidity of the modulator. Finally, we attempt to rationalize these observations by speculating on the underlying solution chemistry.