Water as a structure-driving agent between the UiO-66 and MIL-140A metal–organic frameworks

Abstract

We report a careful investigation of a selective phase formation in the zirconium–terephthalic acid system during solvothermal synthesis, which could result in the UiO-66 (Zr₆O₆(OH)₄(BDC)₆) or MIL-140A (ZrO(BDC)) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The introduction of water varies the phase from MIL-140A to UiO-66 by producing at the nucleation stage tetragonal ZrO₂ nanoparticles, where the local arrangement of Zr and O atoms is similar to that in the UiO-66 SBU.