Defect-induced tuning of polarity-dependent adsorption in hydrophobic–hydrophilic UiO-66

Abstract

Structural defects in metal–organic frameworks can be exploited to tune material properties. Here, a combined theoretical and experimental study demonstrates that the introduction of defects to UiO-66 alters its nature from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, affecting the adsorption mechanism of polar and non-polar molecules.