A thin film of naphthalenediimide-based metal-organic framework with electrochromic properties.

A metal-organic framework (MOF) thin film constructed from Zn nodes and naphthalenediimide (NDI) linkers was grown in-situ uniformly on a transparent conducting glass substrate. This transparent thin film exhibits intriguingly high-contrast electrochromic (EC) switching between canary yellow and dark brown by means of a one-electron redox reaction at its NDI linkers. The findings provide a basic comprehension of the relations between redox state and electrochromism and enrich the application of MOF in the field of optoelectronic materials.