A Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework on Superconducting NbSe$_2$

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the fabrication and characterization of a 2D metal-organic framework on a superconducting NbSe2 substrate, revealing tunable electronic properties and kagome bandstructure formation relevant for quantum materials.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to synthesize 2D MOFs on superconducting substrates, expanding possibilities for designer quantum heterostructures.

Findings

Successful fabrication of 2D Cu-dicyanoanthracene MOF on NbSe2

Observation of kagome bandstructure formation

Electronic properties tunable via structural phases

Abstract

The combination of two-dimensional (2D) materials into vertical heterostructures has emerged as a promising path to designer quantum materials with exotic properties. Here, we extend this concept from inorganic 2D materials to 2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that offer additional flexibility in realizing designer heterostructures. We successfully fabricate a monolayer 2D Cu-dicyanoanthracene MOF on a 2D van der Waals NbSe$_2$ superconducting substrate. The structural and electronic properties of two different phases of the 2D MOF are characterized by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS), complemented by density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. These experiments allow us to follow the formation of the kagome bandstructure from Star of David -shaped building blocks. This work extends the synthesis and electronic tuneability of 2D MOFs beyond the electronically less relevant metal and semiconducting surfaces to superconducting substrates, which are needed for the development of emerging quantum materials such as topological superconductors.