Metal–Organic Frameworks as Active Materials in Electronic Sensor Devices

Abstract

In the past decade, advances in electrically conductive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and MOF-based electronic devices have created new opportunities for the development of next-generation sensors. Here we review this rapidly-growing field, with a focus on the different types of device configurations that have allowed for the use of MOFs as active components of electronic sensor devices.

A Highly Stable Two‐Dimensional Copper(II) Organic Framework for Proton Conduction and Ammonia Impedance Sensing

“…In the sensing field, luminescent MOF‐based sensors have attracted great attention for a long time because these MOFs can indicate clear luminescent enhancement or quenching in response to different guest species, such as small molecules (amines, volatile organic compounds, explosive compounds, and so on), metal cations, and anions . However, the exploration of MOFs as electronic or optoelectronic sensors is still in its infancy and limited examples have been described . The main reason is that most MOFs have intrinsically low electrical and proton conductivity.…”

“…Nevertheless, there are still some exciting research results being reported. In recent years, two interesting review articles have highlighted MOF‐based electrochemical sensors . This motivates us to further explore more MOFs as sensitive electrochemical devices for sensing applications.…”

Tuning the Structure and Properties of Lanthanoid Coordination Polymers with an Asymmetric Anilato Ligand

“…The modulation and control of the shape and size of the cavities is a key aspect to designing MOFs with tailored properties, for applications in gas storage and separation [3,4], water adsorption [5], energy storage [6,7], catalysis [8,9], sensors [10,11], biomedicine [12,13], or for combining several properties in the same MOF [14].…”

Coordination-induced reversible electrical conductivity variation in the MOF-74 analogue Fe2(DSBDC)

“…Guest molecules may cause structural variation, 8,9 tune electrical conductivity, 10,11 induce spin state transitions, 12,13 modulate luminescence wavelength, 14,15 and even participate in guest-guest interactions. 16 These phenomena are of fundamental interest and form the basis of various applications including chemiresistive sensors, 11,17,18 fluorescence sensors, 19 and cooperative adsorption. 13,16 Although several strategies are effective for increasing the electrical conductivity in MOFs, 20,21 among the most promising, and certainly more tractable synthetically, are those that involve post-synthetic doping.…”