Processing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as films with controllable thickness on asubstrate is increasingly crucial for many applications to realizef unction integration and performance optimization. Herein, we report af acile cathodic deposition process that enables the large-area preparation of uniform films of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8, ZIF-71, and ZIF-67) with highly tunable thickness ranging from approximately 24 nm to hundreds of nanometers. Importantly,t his oxygen-reduction-triggered cathodic deposition does not lead to the plating of reduced metals (Zn and Co). It is also operable cost-effectively in the absence of supporting electrolyte and facilitates the construction of well-defined submicrometer-sized heterogeneous structures within ZIF films.Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), ac lass of porous crystalline materials with large surface areas,r egular pore sizes,a nd tailorable surface chemistry, [1] have received considerable attention in av ariety of fields. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Form any applications,s uch as separations, [3] energy storage [5] and conversion, [6] chemical sensing, [7] and electronics, [8] it is often necessary to process MOF materials as films on as pecific substrate.A mong methods established for preparing MOF films, [9,10] strategies based on electrochemical synthesis are attractive for many advantages including technological flexibility,scalable preparation, and industrial production potential. [11] Nevertheless,t heir potential for preparing MOF films with precisely tunable morphology and thickness has not been fully explored. These variables,h owever,a re critically important for structure integration and performance optimization in (especially device) applications. [8,9] MOFs could be deposited on the electrode surface anodically [12] or cathodically. [13] In cathodic deposition, reduction of some special molecules or ions (e.g.n itrate ions) on electrode surface results in an increase in pH, which promotes the deprotonation of organic ligands and induces the formation of MOFs.Atfirst glance,cathodic deposition appears to be attractive for the direct synthesis of MOFs on conductive substrates.H owever,r eports on the cathodic deposition of MOFs are comparably few.The challenge arises from the more negative reduction potential of nitrate ions relative to those of some important metal ions,f or example, Zn II ,C o II ,a nd Cu II ,w hich constitute the most extensively studied MOFs. [13b,g] As ar esult, cathodic deposition of these MOF materials is commonly accompanied with plating of the corresponding metals, [13a,e] which is in most cases undesirable.Herein, we report the first cathodic deposition of zeolitic imidazolate framework materials (ZIFs), an important subgroup of MOFs that have been extensively studied owing to their outstanding thermal stability and chemical robustness. [14,15] Our strategy is based on an oxygen reduction triggered-electrochemical-chemical-reaction Scheme responsible for the formation of ZIF materials (Scheme 1). Electrochemical oxyge...