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Project

Formation, growth, and properties of metal-organic frameworks from 2D to 3D: a scanning probe microscopy approach

Metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous crystalline solids in which the metal centres are connected by organic linkers via coordinate bonds to yield networks with large voids. The versatility and the robustness of MOFs coupled with their high surface area has enabled their use in a remarkable range of applications. MOFs are employed in these applications in a variety of different forms ranging from layered thin films to nanoparticles to large single crystals. Despite being crystalline solids, a number of MOFs have flexible frameworks that undergo reversible changes in their architecture in response to external stimuli such as guest adsorption, temperature, pressure and light. The increasing degree of complexity and the diversity of MOF applications is demanding the implementation of (sub)molecular resolution based characterization methods. Furthermore, there is a pressing need to understand the dynamics of metal-coordination chemistry at different length scales as each form of the material often has a specific property and is useful in a specific application. This project aims to develop fundamental understanding of the dynamic processes transpiring in metal-organic coordination systems spanning multiple length scales ranging from physisorbed monolayers to single crystals via well-controlled experiments on model systems, using real-time, real-space imaging based on scanning probe microscopy.

Date:22 Oct 2020 →  Today
Keywords:Metal-organic frameworks, Scanning probe microscopy
Disciplines:Coordination chemistry, Physical chemistry of materials, Supramolecular chemistry
Project type:PhD project