An Evaluation of UiO-66 for Gas-Based Applications

In addition to its high thermal stability, repetitive hydration/dehydration tests have revealed that the porous zirconium terephthalate UiO-66 switches reversibly between its dehydroxylated and hydroxylated versions. The structure of its dehydroxylated form has thus been elucidated by coupling molecular simulations and X-ray powder diffraction data. Infrared measurements have shown that relatively weak acid sites are available while microcalorimetry combined with Monte Carlo simulations emphasize moderate interactions between the UiO-66 surface and a wide range of guest molecules including CH4, CO, and CO2. These properties, in conjunction with its significant adsorption capacity, make UiO-66 of interest for its further evaluation for CO2 recovery in industrial applications. This global approach suggests a strategy for the evaluation of metalorganic frameworks for gas-based applications.