Under ordinary conditions, most MOFs are electrically insulating, or nearly so. For many potential applications, most notably electrocatalysis, electrical conductivity is essential. Also essential is molecular-scale porosity -- a property that is susceptible to loss when conductivity is induced via chemical elaboration. Further desirable, depending on the reaction being catalyzed, may be MOF stability in acidic, neutral, or basic aquoeous electrolytes, as well as an ability for the MOF to function as a structurally well-defined support for catalytic moieties. Both redox conductivity and band-type electronic conductivity hold promise as general routes for satisfying the demands of electrocatalysis applications. By way of a few illustrative case studies, this presentation will describe how these two approaches have been used in our lab. Highlighted will be mechanisms and designs that enable highly anisotropic charge transport, and that lend themselves to predictive interpretation by computations and theory.

Making porous MOFs electrically conductive

2019 Fall National Meeting

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