Step-by-step fabrication of a highly oriented crystalline three-dimensional pillared-layer-type metal-organic framework thin film confirmed by synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

Fabrication of a crystalline ordered thin film based on the porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is one of the practical applications of the future functional nanomaterials. Here, we report the creation of a highly oriented three-dimensional (3-D) porous pillared-layer-type MOF thin film on a metal substrate using a step-by-step approach based on liquid-phase epitaxy. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) study clearly indicates that the thin film is crystalline and its orientation is highly controlled in both horizontal and vertical directions relative to the substrate. This report provides the first confirmation of details of not only the crystallinity but also the orientation of 3-D MOF thin film using synchrotron XRD. Moreover, we also demonstrate its guest adsorption/desorption behavior by using in situ XRD measurements. The results presented here would promise useful insights for fabrication of MOF-based nanodevices in the future.