Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous crystalline materials with large surface areas and tunable pore shapes, sizes and functionalities.  Many MOFs are capable of selectively adsorbing various small molecules, a property which makes them promising in gas separation and chemical sensing.  One of the most critical aspects of enabling the use of MOFs in functional devices, such as membranes and sensors, is the assembly of continuous films with controlled thickness and surface morphology.  Here we report systematic studies on solution deposition of several carboxylate-based copper(II) MOFs.  The kinetics of MOF film deposition on various substrates was investigated using the quartz crystal microbalance technique and a mechanism for the film growth was proposed.  Selected MOFs were incorporated into microcantilevers and surface acoustic wave devices for sensing applications. Our results demonstrate that MOF-coated devices can be used for ultrasensitive detection of water, hydrocarbons and other volatile organic compounds.

Fabrication of MOF thin films for chemical sensing

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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