Novel synthesis approach for "stubborn" metals and metal oxides.

Advances in physical vapor deposition techniques have led to a myriad of quantum materials and technological breakthroughs, affecting all areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology which rely on the innovation in synthesis. Despite this, one area that remains challenging is the synthesis of atomically precise complex metal oxide thin films and heterostructures containing "stubborn" elements that are not only nontrivial to evaporate/sublimate but also hard to oxidize. Here, we report a simple yet atomically controlled synthesis approach that bridges this gap.

Diffusion of CO2 in Large Crystals of Cu-BTC MOF.

Carbon dioxide adsorption in metal-organic frameworks has been widely studied for applications in carbon capture and sequestration. A critical component that has been largely overlooked is the measurement of diffusion rates. This paper describes a new reproducible procedure to synthesize millimeter-scale Cu-BTC single crystals using concentrated reactants and an acetic acid modulator.

Facile Conversion of Hydroxy Double Salts to Metal-Organic Frameworks Using Metal Oxide Particles and Atomic Layer Deposition Thin-Film Templates.

Rapid room-temperature synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is highly desired for industrial implementation and commercialization. Here we find that a (Zn,Cu) hydroxy double salt (HDS) intermediate formed in situ from ZnO particles or thin films enables rapid growth (<1 min) of HKUST-1 (Cu3(BTC)2) at room temperature. The space-time-yield reaches >3 × 10(4) kg·m(-3)·d(-1), at least 1 order of magnitude greater than any prior report.