Surface Chemistry of Metal–Organic Frameworks at the Liquid–Solid Interface

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a fascinating class of novel inorganic-organic hybrid materials. They are essentially based on classic coordination chemistry and hold much promise for unique applications ranging from gas storage and separation to chemical sensing, catalysis, and drug release. The evolution of the full innovative potential of MOFs, in particular for nanotechnology and device integration, however requires a fundamental understanding of the formation process of MOFs. Also necessary is the ability to control the growth of thin MOF films and the positioning of size- and shape-selected crystals as well as MOF heterostructures on a given surface in a well-defined and oriented fashion. MOFs are solid-state materials typically formed by solvothermal reactions and their crystallization from the liquid phase involves the surface chemistry of their building blocks. This Review brings together various key aspects of the surface chemistry of MOFs.

Metal–organic framework growth at functional interfaces: thin films and composites for diverse applications

“…29 5 The focus of this review is largely those systems in category (1), where the starting point for preparation is an interface bearing suitable functional groups -usually the same metalbinding groups expressed by the framework ligand componentsfor interaction with the surfaces of MOF crystallites. 30 The 10 resulting composite materials range from supported oriented defect-free thin films and membranes 21 to shaped 3-dimensional bodies of hierarchical porosity. 31 While MOF thin films have been the subject of several reviews in recent years 20,24,32 , the purpose here is for the first time to group together all reported 15 composites according to interface type thus providing a broad overview of the diversity of materials and application-specific configurations that have this far been prepared as this branch of MOF chemistry rapidly develops.…”

“…4 Framework functionality beyond their accessible porosity can arise from the metal components (e.g. magnetism, catalysis), 30 organic linkers (e.g. luminescence, chirality) or a combination of both, 5 and may be pre-programmed into the framework building blocks 6 or added/activated after assembly using a post synthetic modification (PSM) strategy.…”

Advanced Fabrication Method for the Preparation of MOF Thin Films: Liquid-Phase Epitaxy Approach Meets Spin Coating Method

“…Yet, it is very close to the time needed by the spray method, which was 30 minutes. [8][9][10]12 Furthermore, the films were found to be very robust upon rinsing and drying, where no washing out or delamination was observed. Interestingly, although the time needed to grow this MOF thin film was found to be much more faster than the conventional LPE-method, the high degree of film orientation is still comparable to previously reported results.…”

“…[9][10][11] Markedly, MOF thin films prepared on a functional surface, e.g. interdigitated capacitive or quartz crystal electrodes, would permit the introduction of numerous sensory transduction mechanisms in response to the interactions between the sorbed gas and the deposited host porous material.…”

Freestanding MOF Microsheets with Defined Size and Geometry Using Superhydrophobic–Superhydrophilic Arrays

“…Interfacial synthesis has been the key target to spatially confine the nucleation and growth processes during the MOF synthesis at solid-liquid, [16] liquid-liquid [17] and liquid-air interfaces. [18] As prove of concept we chose HKUST-1 (Cu3btc2), one of the most well-known MOF structures.…”