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Updated: Apr 4, 2026

Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope
Published on: May 28, 2016
Definitive molecular level characterization of defects in UiO-66 crystals
Christopher A Trickett1, Kevin J Gagnon2, Seungkyu Lee1
1Department of Chemistry, University of California-Berkeley, Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Kavli Energy Nanosciences Institute at Berkeley, Center for Global Science at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA).
Abstract:
The identification and characterization of defects, on the molecular level, in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) remain a challenge. With the extensive use of single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD), the missing linker defects in the zirconium-based MOF UiO-66, Zr6 O4 (OH)4 (C8 H4 O4 )6 , have been identified as water molecules coordinated directly to the zirconium centers. Charge balancing is achieved by hydroxide anions, which are hydrogen bonded within the pores of the framework. Furthermore, the precise nature of the defects and their concentration can be manipulated by altering the starting materials, synthesis conditions, and post-synthetic modifications.
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