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Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Author Spotlight: Characterizing Porous Materials for Aiding the Development of Robust Metal-Organic Frameworks with Adsorption Behavior
Published on: March 8, 2024
Compression-induced deformation of individual metal-organic framework microcrystals
Zhi Su1, Yu-Run Miao, Shi-Min Mao
1Department of Chemistry and ‡Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.
Abstract:
The deformation and mechanical behavior of individual zeolitic-imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) micro- and sub-microcrystals were observed under compression. Young's modulus and volume changes as a function of applied pressure were determined on individual single crystals, offering insights in the relationship among structure, morphology, and mechanical properties. Dramatic volume decreases and amorphization were detected during compression over a pressure range of 0-4 GPa for individual 1.2 μm ZIF-8 microcrystals, and the deformed microcrystals partially recovered after pressure release. The orientation and size effects on the mechanical behavior of ZIF-8 nano- and microcrystals were also investigated. The presence of solvates within the pores of the ZIF-8 has a dramatic effect on the mechanical properties of the single crystals. Methanol-solvated ZIF-8 microcrystals are much less deformable than the desolvated microcrystals and shatter completely at very low applied force.
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