Photoinduced Phase Transition of Ce-UiO-66 to Ce-BDC-OH.

External stimuli-responsive phase transition of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) introduces intriguing functions for diverse applications under practical settings. Herein, we reported a phase transition from cubic Ce-UiO-66 to triclinic Ce-BDC-OH under light irradiation. Such a phase transition underwent a ligand-to-metal charge transfer process, which was unambiguously revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, etc. We proposed a phase transition mechanism through (1) the photoreduction of the metal core from Ce into Ce; (2) the photogeneration of OH and hydroxylation of BDC into BDC-OH; and (3) the carboxylate migration and lattice rearrangement for transitions. The phenomenon of the Ce-to-Ce reduction also enables a diamagnetism-to-paramagnetism transition, suggesting its potential as a photostimulus-responsive magnetic switch.