Determining Structures of Layer-by-Layer Spin-Coated Zinc Dicarboxylate-Based Metal-Organic Thin Films.

Thin films of crystalline solids with substantial free volume built from organic chromophores and metal secondary building units (SBUs) are promising for engineering new optoelectronic properties through control of interchromophore coupling. Zn-based SBUs are especially relevant in this case because they avoid quenching the chromophore's luminescence. We find that layer-by-layer spin-coating using Zn acetate dihydrate and benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid (HBDC) and biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid (HBPDC) linkers readily produces crystalline thin films.