Selectivity for water isotopologues within metal organic nanotubes

Through a combination of many analytical approaches, we show that a metal organic nanotube (UMON) displays selectivity for H₂O over all types of heavy water (D₂O, HDO, HTO). Water adsorption experiments combined with vibrational and radiochemical analyses reveal significant differences in uptake and suggest that surface adsorption processes may be a key driver in water uptake for this material.