Infrared Nanoscopy of Electron-Beam Modified Metal Organic Frameworks

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous materials that are promising for applications in many areas including gas separations and sorptions. Some MOFs, such as ZIF-L, can be chemically modified by exposure to an electron-beam to tailor their properties. This chemical modification by electron-beam exposure is known to modify their solubility among other properties. The modified MOFs have been characterized with nanoscale infrared techniques, namely photothermal infrared (PTIR) or AFM-IR and optical-photothermal infrared (O-PTIR), to understand the chemical changes that happen and the possible application of these materials towards gas separation. The results show a two-step process in the chemical modification of the MOFs with increasing electron-beam exposure.