Fabrication Methods of Surface-Supported Metal–Organic Framework Thin Films

Surface-supported metal–organic framework (MOF) or porous coordination polymer thin films have attracted much attention as a novel form of nanotechnology. New deposition techniques that enable the control of the film thickness, homogeneity, morphology, and dimensions with a huge number of metal–organic framework compounds offer tremendous opportunities in a variety application fields. In response to growing demands for environmental sustainability and cleaner energy, in recent years, many efforts have been made to develop metal–organic framework thin films for applications such as photovoltaics, CO2 reduction, energy storage, water splitting, and electronic devices, as well as for the fabrication of membranes. Although existing applications are promising and encouraging, MOF thin films still face several challenges, including the need to better understand the growth mechanism of thin-film, the stability of internal and external interfaces, strategies for doping and models for charge carrier transfer. Although these films show very attractive and interesting features, there is still a long way to go before these compounds can be industrialized and commercialized. This paper reviews recent advances in thin films of metal-organic frameworks, including fabrication patterning strategies.