Phosphonic Acid Adsorbates Tune the Surface Potential of TiO2 in Gas and Liquid Environments.

Controlled attachment of molecules to the surface of a material can alter the band structure energies with respect to the surrounding environment via a combination of intrinsic and bonding-induced dipoles. Here, we demonstrate that the surface potential of an application-relevant material, anatase TiO2, can be tuned over a broad energy range of ∼1 eV using a family of dipolar phosphonic acid-based adsorbates. Using TiO2 as an example, we show with photoelectron spectroscopy that these adsorbates are stable in a liquid environment (propylene carbonate).

Superacidity in sulfated metal-organic framework-808.

Superacids, defined as acids with a Hammett acidity function H0 ≤ -12, are useful materials, but a need exists for new, designable solid state systems. Here, we report superacidity in a sulfated metal-organic framework (MOF) obtained by treating the microcrystalline form of MOF-808 [MOF-808-P: Zr6O5(OH)3(BTC)2(HCOO)5(H2O)2, BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate] with aqueous sulfuric acid to generate its sulfated analogue, MOF-808-2.5SO4 [Zr6O5(OH)3(BTC)2(SO4)2.