Microwaves induced epitaxial growth of urchin like MIL-53(Al) crystals on ceramic supports.

Shaping Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) poses a significant challenge for their widespread application on a large scale. In particular, a precise control over crystal orientation and arrangement on substrates are expected to provide exiting opportunities for novel materials with customized characteristics and enhanced performance in catalysis, gas storage, sensing, optics and electronics. Here we demonstrated for the first time that microwave irradiation can induce well controlled epitaxial growth of urchin-like MIL-53(Al) crystals via the hydrothermal conversion of Atomic Layer Deposition alumina layers on SiC foams. The resulting large, ordered crystals feature specific size, homogeneity, dispersion, and quantity that strongly correlate with the nature of the ceramic support and its ability to absorb microwaves. Furthermore, the supported MIL-53(Al) urchins were considered as templates for generating nanostructured alumina fibers on SiC foams, providing attractive catalyst carriers with high specific surface areas.