Fabricating Large-Area Thin Films of 2D Conductive Metal–Organic Frameworks

ConspectusRecent years have witnessed significant interest in two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) due to their unique properties and promising applications across various fields. These materials offer distinct advantages, including high porosity and excellent charge transport properties. Their tunability allows precise control over various factors, including the electronic structure adjustments and local reactivity modulation, facilitating a wide range of properties and applications, such as material sensing and spin dynamics control. Moreover, the precise crystal structure of 2D MOFs supports rational design and mechanism studies, providing insights into their potential applications and enhancing their utility in various scientific and technological endeavors.To fully unveil the latent capabilities of 2D MOFs and advance their applications across diverse fields, thin film synthesis is crucial. Thin films provide a platform for investigating the intrinsic electrical properties of 2D MOFs with anisotropic structures, enabling the exploration of their unique characteristics comprehensively. Additionally, thin films offer the advantage of minimizing interference at contacts and junctions, thereby enhancing the performance of 2D MOFs for various applications. Furthermore, the properties of thin films can vary with thickness, presenting an opportunity to tailor their characteristics based on specific requirements.In this Account, we present an overview of our research focusing on the synthesis of 2D conductive MOF thin films encompassing two primary methods: chemical vapor deposition and solution processing. The chemical vapor deposition method allows for one-step, all-vapor-phase processes resulting in MOFs with edge-on orientation, controllable film thicknesses ranging from 55 to 662.7 nm, and smooth, homogeneous surfaces. On the other hand, solution-processing introduces a novel MOF, Cu