Spatiotemporal Mapping of Charge Transport in Conductive MOFs with In Situ Multi-Modal Microscopy

Building on the insights of Zhang et al. (2023, ACS Nano; 2024, Sci. Adv.) on conductive MOFs and their anisotropic properties, this project proposes the development of advanced in situ spatiotemporal microscopy (e.g., combining conductive AFM, electron microscopy, and time-resolved spectroscopy) to directly map how electrons and ions move within and between MOF layers under operational conditions. Current studies infer charge transport from bulk measurements, but cannot resolve transient bottlenecks, local defects, or dynamic reorganization at the nanoscale. By visualizing these processes in real time and correlating them with structural changes (possibly under an applied field or during guest adsorption), one could uncover previously invisible mechanisms that govern conductivity, dielectric response, and device performance. This technique-driven approach could accelerate the rational design of next-gen electronic or sensing MOFs.

References:

1. Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks with Tunable Dielectric Properties for Boosting Electromagnetic Wave Absorption.. Xue Zhang, Xue Tian, Yutian Qin, Jing Qiao, Fei Pan, Na Wu, Changxian Wang, Shanyu Zhao, W. Liu, Jie Cui, Zhao Qian, Meiting Zhao, Jiurong Liu, Z. Zeng (2023). ACS Nano.
2. Metal-organic frameworks with fine-tuned interlayer spacing for microwave absorption. Xue Zhang, Xue Tian, Na Wu, Shanyu Zhao, Yutian Qin, Fei Pan, Shengying Yue, Xinyu Ma, Jing Qiao, Wei Xu, Wei Liu, Jiurong Liu, Meiting Zhao, Kostyantyn Ostrikov, Z. Zeng (2024). Science Advances.