Metal Organic Frameworks-Based Optical Thin Films

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are organic-inorganic hybrid materials with ordered pore structures assembled by metal centers and organic ligands through coordination bonds, but conventionally they are mostly in powder form. In recent years, metal-organic framework films have received increasing attention due to their potential applications in nanotechnology and nanodevices. The intrinsic ultrahigh porosity of MOFs may lead to a low refractive index of MOF materials. In addition, over 70,000 types of MOFs exist, and their properties can be tuned through the adoption of different metal motifs, organic ligands, or crystal morphologies. These characteristics make MOFs a potential new generation of optical thin film materials. In this chapter, the fabrication methods of MOF thin films, the optical properties of MOF optical thin films, and their application in optical sensors were described.