Understanding the processes by which porous solid-state materials adsorb and release guest molecules would represent a significant step towards developing rational design principles for functional porous materials. To elucidate the process of liquid exchange in these materials, dynamic in situ X-ray diffraction techniques have been developed which utilize liquid-phase chemical stimuli. Using these time-resolved diffraction techniques, the ethanol solvation process in a flexible metal-organic framework [Co(AIP)(bpy)0.5(H2O)]·2H2O was examined. The measurements provide important insight into the nature of the chemical transformation in this system including the presence of a previously unreported neat ethanol solvate structure.
Keywords: dehydration; dynamic in situ X-ray diffraction; metal–organic framework; single-crystal to single-crystal; time resolved.