Enhancement in the CO2 uptake of UiO-66 by a simple exposure to ultraviolet light

In this work, we report that a simple post-synthetic treatment of the metal-organic framework (MOF) UiO-66 through an exposure to ultraviolet light (UV-C) allows a marked increase in its CO2 uptake capacity. It is shown that this is due to the generation of cluster defects at nanoregions of the MOF while its overall architecture and crystallinity are maintained. UiO-66 modified in this way has a greater structural complexity with a more open framework and new interaction sites that lead to the increased capture of CO2. The results presented here are the first report of an improvement in the CO2 uptake of a Metal-organic framework using this procedure. Comparing with existing methods, the treatment is a promising alternative to increase the CO2 uptake of UiO-66 preserving its structural integrity and robustness through a simple, short and sustainable procedure that avoids the use of chemicals.