Review—Direct Electrochemical Synthesis of Metal Organic Frameworks

Metal-organic frameworks, a class of highly crystalline porous materials, have gained intense research interest in material science in the last decade due to its intriguing chemistry and unique properties which lead to diverse applications. There are different methods for the development of MOF thin film in lab scale and its fabrication in electronic devices. However, the harsh reaction conditions, prolonged synthesis time, complex experimental setup etc. limit its application. Here, the electrochemical synthesis offers the advantages of mild reaction conditions, real time tuning of applied potential, short reaction time etc. which make the selective deposition of MOF on various conducting substrates facile. In this review, we focus on the direct electrochemical synthesis of MOF with emphasis on anodic and cathodic electrodeposition. The two different synthetic methods are explained in detail with a detailed review on its progress since its development. The electrosynthesis of MOF is still in its infancy stage and therefore the challenges and future perspectives associated with it are also discussed.