Colossal increase in electric current and high rectification ratio in a photoconducting, self-cleaning, and luminescent schottky barrier NMOF diode

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are mostly electrically insulating systems. Only recently have there been reports of MOFs showing high conductivity. However, a large void still remains in the fabrication of photoconducting MOFs, which can function under extreme conditions for advanced optoelectronic applications. This issue was addressed by self-assembling an electrically active and luminescent bola-amphiphilic organic linker, dialkoxydodecyl-oligo-(p-phenyleneethynylene)dicarboxylate (OPE-C₁₂), with Zn^II , which led to a self-cleaning and semiconducting nanoscale MOF Zn(OPE-C₁₂)·2HC₂O (NMOF-1). The fabricated device using NMOF-1 showed Schottky barrier behavior along with a 1000- and 1400-fold increase in current at +0.2 V in the absence and presence of light, respectively. A high rectification ratio of 47 and 83 was also observed under dark and photoirradiated condition. Along with high thermal stability, moisture resistance, and luminescence, NMOF-1 can be used in advanced optoelectronics probably even under water, being the first porous MOF material showing such properties.