adsorptioninduced

Adsorptioninduced refers to a family of phenomena in which the adsorption of atoms or molecules on a solid surface or within the pores of a material causes a measurable change in the host's properties. These changes can be structural, mechanical, electronic, or chemical, and they depend on the nature of the adsorbate, the host, and the environment.

The driving mechanism is typically the interaction between adsorbate and host that generates surface or bulk stress, leading to deformation or phase transitions. In flexible porous materials, such as certain metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), adsorption can trigger breathing or gate-opening transitions that dramatically alter pore volume and accessibility.

Examples include adsorption-induced deformation in zeolites, MOFs like MIL-53 which shows breathing upon CO2 or water adsorption, and ZIF-7 that exhibits gate-opening behavior. In carbon-based materials, adsorption can change electrical conductivity or capacitance with gas uptake. The phenomena are particularly significant when the host is able to respond mechanically to adsorption, amplifying the effect of a relatively small amount of adsorbate.

Characterization relies on adsorption isotherms, in situ X-ray or neutron diffraction, calorimetry, and surface-sensitive techniques such as quartz crystal microbalance or ellipsometry to correlate adsorption with structural changes. Computational modeling also helps relate adsorbate–host interactions to observed responses.

Applications include gas storage and separation, sensing, actuation, and catalysis, where adsorption-induced effects influence performance or selectivity. The field integrates adsorption science with solid-state physics and materials chemistry to understand how adsorbates couple to host structure and function.