Electronic Structure Modeling of Metal-Organic Frameworks

Owing to their molecular building blocks, yet highly crystalline nature, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) sit at the interface between molecule and material. Their diverse structures and compositions enable them to be useful materials as catalysts in heterogeneous reactions, electrical conductors in energy storage and transfer applications, chromophores in photoenabled chemical transformations, and beyond. In all cases, density functional theory (DFT) and higher-level methods for electronic structure determination provide valuable quantitative information about the electronic properties that underpin the functions of these frameworks. However, there are only two general modeling approaches in conventional electronic structure software packages: those that treat materials as extended, periodic solids, and those that treat materials as discrete molecules. Each approach has features and benefits; both have been widely employed to understand the emergent chemistry that arises from the formation of the metal-organic interface. This Review canvases these approaches to date, with emphasis placed on the application of electronic structure theory to explore reactivity and electron transfer using periodic, molecular, and embedded models. This includes (i) computational chemistry considerations such as how functional, k-grid, and other model variables are selected to enable insights into MOF properties, (ii) extended solid models that treat MOFs as materials rather than molecules, (iii) the mechanics of cluster extraction and subsequent chemistry enabled by these molecular models, (iv) catalytic studies using both solids and clusters thereof, and (v) embedded, mixed-method approaches, which simulate a fraction of the material using one level of theory and the remainder of the material using another dissimilar theoretical implementation.

An updated roadmap for the integration of metal–organic frameworks with electronic devices and chemical sensors

This review highlights the steps needed to bring the properties of MOFs from the chemical lab to the microelectronics fab.

The effect of cluster size on the optical band gap energy of Zn-based metal–organic frameworks

We have synthesized three Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) in which Zn metal ions form the secondary building unit, and 4,4′-sulfonyldibenzoic acid (SDB) serves as the ligand: [[Zn(DMF)(SDB)] (DMF), 1, [Zn₃(DMF)₃(SDB)₃](DMF), 2 and [Zn₃(OH)₂(SDB)₂] (DMF)₂, 3, where DMF = dimethyl formamide].

The role of solvents in framework dimensionality and their effect on band gap energy

Solvents play a crucial role towards the dimensionality and band gap energy of hybrid framework materials.

S. A, Pratik SM, Datta A, Nath R, Mandal S. Synthesis, structure, photocatalytic and magnetic properties of an oxo-bridged copper dimer

A new paramagnetic and semiconductor copper citrate dimer exhibits photocatalytic behaviour towards organic dye degradation.