Thin films of azobenzene dicarboxylate-based Cu-MOF: Generating electronic heterostructure by molecular doping
摘要
Circumventing the limitations of lattice-mismatch factors in usual heterostructured thin films of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), recent studies have achieved exotic electronic heterostructures for possible next-generation thin film device applications. This study reports a robust strategy to significantly enhance the conductivity in thin films of 4,4′-azobenzene dicarboxylate (ADA) linker-based 1D Cu-MOF while also creating an electronic heterostructure system in the process and explores how photoexcitation might perturb its electrical transport behaviour.
Graphical abstractFabrication of highly-uniform and crystalline thin films of 4,4′-azobenzene dicarboxylate (ADA) linker-based Cu-MOF, referred to as Cu-ADA thin films, through a layer-by-layer (LbL) method is reported. Molecular doping of TCNQ (tetracyanoquinodimethane) in Cu-ADA thin films led to the formation of an electronic heterostructure exhibiting rectification of current and enhancement of electrical conductance in the cross-plane and in-plane configurations, respectively.