Thin MOF films

The continuing demand for ever more complex electronic devices requires new dynamic components, for example circuitry that allows for reprogramming in-operando. While optical switching offers unparalleled speed and interfacing to photonic devices, there is a need for proper materials to allow for large modulation of conductance along defined directions. In this joint project with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), we will integrate photoswitchable molecular building blocks into surface-mounted metal-organic frameworks (SURMOFs), which offer a highly ordered structure with defined conduction pathways. Exposure to laser light of different wavelengths will allow us to control the conductance along these pathways and therefore provide us with the unique opportunity to optically write circuitry. In the long term, these photoswitchable materials should enable the development of photoprogrammable devices for optical computing, memories, and displays.