Publication
Title
Engineering a highly defective stable UiO-66 with tunable Lewis- Brønsted acidity : the role of the hemilabile linker
Author
Abstract
The stability of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) typically decreases with an increasing number of defects, limiting the number of defects that can be created and limiting catalytic and other applications. Herein, we use a hemilabile (Hl) linker to create up to a maximum of six defects per cluster in UiO-66. We synthesized hemilabile UiO-66 (Hl-UiO-66) using benzene dicarboxylate (BDC) as linker and 4-sulfonatobenzoate (PSBA) as the hemilabile linker. The PSBA acts not only as a modulator to create defects but also as a coligand that enhances the stability of the resulting defective framework. Furthermore, upon a postsynthetic treatment in H2SO4, the average number of defects increases to the optimum of six missing BDC linkers per cluster (three per formula unit), leaving the Zr-nodes on average sixfold coordinated. Remarkably, the thermal stability of the materials further increases upon this treatment. Periodic density functional theory calculations confirm that the hemilabile ligands strengthen this highly defective structure by several stabilizing interactions. Finally, the catalytic activity of the obtained materials is evaluated in the acid-catalyzed isomerization of α-pinene oxide. This reaction is particularly sensitive to the Brønsted or Lewis acid sites in the catalyst. In comparison to the pristine UiO-66, which mainly possesses Brønsted acid sites, the Hl-UiO-66 and the postsynthetically treated Hl-UiO-66 structures exhibited a higher Lewis acidity and an enhanced activity and selectivity. This is further explored by CD3CN spectroscopic sorption experiments. We have shown that by tuning the number of defects in UiO-66 using PSBA as the hemilabile linker, one can achieve highly defective and stable MOFs and easily control the Brønsted to Lewis acid ratio in the materials and thus their catalytic activity and selectivity.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of the American Chemical Society. - Washington, D.C., 1879, currens
Publication
Washington, D.C. : American Chemical Society , 2020
ISSN
0002-7863
DOI
10.1021/JACS.9B13070
Volume/pages
142 :6 (2020) , p. 3174-3183
ISI
000514255300056
Pubmed ID
31971786
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
DYNPOR: First principle molecular dynamics simulations for complex chemical transformations in nanoporous materials
PEGASUS-2: [PEGASUS]², giving wings to your career
CalcUA as central calculation facility: supporting core facilities.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 26.02.2020
Last edited 02.10.2024
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