The
colloidal properties of suspended metal-organic frameworks
(MOFs) are critical for device fabrication and application. Herein,
van der Waals attractive, electric double layer repulsive, and steric
repulsive forces of a native and encapsulated MOF are quantified for
the first time. The van der Waals attractive forces were investigated
by conducting environmental ellipsometric porosimetry (EEP) and spectroscopic
ellipsometry (SE) on submicron, optical-quality nanoparticle films.
The repulsive forces were determined from colloid and material characterization
measurements. These data were used to predict suspension properties
via extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek theory. The state
of dispersion was quantified for comparison with theoretical predictions
for nine solvents. The MOF encapsulated with a surface-selective modification
showed superior suspension in hydrophobic solvents. These findings
should expedite the formulation of MOF colloidal suspensions for future
works.
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