The diverse optical, magnetic, and electronic behavior of most colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals arise from limited structural and elemental compositions. Conductive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), on the other hand, boast complex compositions and architectures, but remain unexplored as nanocrystals, preventing their use in scalable devices. Here, we present the controllable synthesis of semiconductor MOF nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 6 nm to 130 nm. These solution-processable MOFs can be analyzed by solution-state spectroscopy and electrochemistry and cast into conductive thin films with excellent uniformity. This unprecedented analysis of MOF materials reveals a strong size-dependence in optical and electronic behavior, sensitive to guest-host interactions of MOFs. These results provide a radical departure from typical MOF characterization, enabling insight into physical properties otherwise impossible with bulk analogs, while offering a roadmap for the future of MOF nanoparticle synthesis and device fabrication.

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals of metal-organic frameworks

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