Development of continuous microfluidic based solution shearing process for Metal-Organic Framework thin-film

Abstract

Conductive metal-organic framework (C-MOF) thin-films have a wide variety of potential applications in the field of electronics, sensors, and energy devices. The immobilization of various functional species within the pores of C-MOFs can further improve the performance and extend the potential applications of C-MOFs thin-films. However, there are currently no effective strategies for facile and scalable synthesis of high quality ultra-thin C-MOFs while simultaneously immobilizing functional species within the MOF pores. Here, we develop microfluidic channel-embedded solution-shearing (MiCS) for ultra-fast (≤ 5 mm/s) and large-area synthesis of high-quality nanocatalyst-embedded C-MOF thin-films with thickness controllability down to tens of nanometers. The MiCS method synthesizes nanoscopic catalyst-embedded C-MOF particles within the microfluidic channels, and simultaneously grows catalyst-embedded C-MOF thin-film uniformly over a large area using solution shearing. In this thesis, First, the study of the overall thin film formation mechanism for the solution shearing process using organic semiconducting materials are discussed. After that, we are discussed a study on the fabrication of a metal-organic framework thin-film produced through a solution shearing process. Lastly, we would like to discuss the evaluation of the characteristics of a high-performance metal-organic framework thin-film with metal particles immobilized by MiCS process, and the evaluation of the characteristics of the gas sensor using the fabricated thin-film are discussed. Finally, the thesis concludes with a brief outlook, some foresighted ideas, and future directions.