Patterned Growth of Metal-Organic Framework Coatings by Electrochemical Synthesis

A study was conducted to demonstrate an electrochemical method for growing functional metal organic framework (MOF) coatings. The applied voltage served as a means to synthesize MOF crystals without the need to investigate their properties. The electrochemical synthesis of MOF coatings enabled a salt-free and continuous production in industrial environments providing significant advantages. The principle of the process was based on supplying one MOF building block, the metal ion, by anodic dissolution to a synthesis solution that contained the organic ligand and a conduction salt. It was demonstrated that careful modification of the conditions used to electrochemically produce bulk MOF material enabled the preparation of thin films. The approach also enabled the incorporation of MOFs as functional coating in microelectronic devices using standard lithographic techniques combined with electrochemical synthesis.