Standard Project

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a new class of compounds that consist of metal ions coordinated to organic ligands (linkers) to form 1D, 2D and 3D nanostructures. One of the challenges in the field is to make MOFs optimally conductive. This allows free charge carriers (electrons or holes) to be quantum mechanically confined in momentum space by nanostructuring. In other words, by selecting MOF’s size and shape the electronic band gap can be tuned to achieve desired electronic and optical properties. While much effort has been put on the synthesis of various MOFs, physical research of MOFs is yet in its infancy. This project aims to explore new conductive MOFs, understand the relation between their chemical composition, crystal structure and electronic properties, determine the type of electronic interactions responsible for the electrical conduction, exploit quantum confinement effects, and realize patterned synthesis of optimally conductive MOF thin films as active electrodes suited for optoelectronics and energy harvesting and storage.