Orientation control of MOF films: dual electrochemical synthesis
Materials that consist of stacked two-dimensional electronically conductive metal-organic frameworks have potential for integration into novel electronic devices. These layered materials have crystal structures and charge transport properties that are highly anistropic. For effective use as functional device materials it is therefore important to achieve control over the crystallographic orientation of the films and their growth mechanisms.
In the paper 'Orientation control of Cu3(HTTP)2 MOF films using a dual working electrode electromechanical synthesis method', the authors report an electrochemical method to synthesise Cu3(HTTP)2 films in situ on ITO glass with controllable film orientation and thickness using a dual working electrode set-up. By Adjusting the ligand concentration in the electrolyte, different molecular complexes form, which interact differently with the electrode upon which the MOF is grown. This leads to the consistent formation of edge-on or face-on orientated MOF films.
The authors' strategy with this method provides flexibility in synthesis, broad compatibility with device substrates, and a mechanistic basis for tuning film orientation, offering a scalable route to high-quality, orientated 2D MOF films.
