Polyacids as Modulators for the Synthesis of UiO-66

Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(vinylbenzoic acid) (PBA) were synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and used as modulators for the synthesis of the metal–organic framework (MOF) UiO-66 (UiO = University of Oslo). Whereas typical syntheses of UiO-66 require large excesses of acid modulators, such as acetic acid or benzoic acid, to achieve controlled particle size and morphology of the resulting MOF particles, the use of polymerized acids allows for narrow particle size distributions at sub-stoichiometric quantities of modulator. We show using scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering techniques that polyacids can act as alternative modulators for the growth of UiO-66.