# Framing Function: Metallophthalocyanine-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks as Multifunctional Materials for Electrified Devices

## TL;DR

Metallophthalocyanine-based MOFs are 2D materials with tunable properties that show promise for use in electronic devices like sensors and energy storage.

## Contribution

The paper introduces MPc-based MOFs as a novel class of 2D conductive materials with modular structure and multifunctional applications.

## Key findings

- MPc-based MOFs exhibit electrical conductivity and tunable stacking properties.
- They show potential in chemical sensing, catalysis, and energy storage.
- Structure–property relationships are key to optimizing their performance in electronic devices.

## Abstract

Metallophthalocyanine-based
metal–organic
frameworks (MPc-based
MOFs) have recently emerged as a class of two-dimensional (2D) materials
with unique tunability for control over both structural properties
and growing applications. MPc-based MOFs possess a unique set of structural
characteristics due to the combination of a two-dimensional, sheet-like,
porous structure and a modular, bimetallic molecularly precise chemical
composition that result in emergent properties, such as electrical
conductivity, modular surface chemistry, and tunable stacking properties.
This combination of physical, chemical, and structural modularity
has led to the promising demonstrations of MPc-based MOFs within a
wide range of applications, including chemical sensing, catalysis,
energy storage, and magnetoresistivity. While recent research regarding
structure–property relationships of these materials has significantly
advanced this field, the exploration of this class of 2D conductive
MOFs has been limited by factors including the synthetic accessibility
of both the functionalized MPc monomer and the crystalline framework
materials, as well as the lack of structural clarity due to limitations
in producing sufficiently large ordered crystals suitable for single
crystal X-ray diffraction. Systematic investigation of structure–property
relationships, enabled by careful control over synthetic parameters
and device integration techniques, are essential for advancing the
fundamental understanding and capitalizing on the applied potential
of this class of materials.

This Account summarizes the development
of MPc-based MOFs as a
privileged class within the realm of conductive 2D framework materials.
Furthermore, this Account highlights key contributions from our group,
with a particular focus on how chemical modulation within MPc building
blocks dictates the resulting MOF structures and their functional
performance. Capitalizing on the beneficial properties of the MPc
building blocks, the structural modularity of these materials provides
unique access to systematic investigations of structure–property
relationships. Structure–property related insights make it
possible to elucidate the role of the metal within the MPc core, the
bridging metal, and the heteroatomic linker on the functional performance
of these materials in the context of electronically transduced chemical
sensing and electrocatalysis. The multifaceted utility of this class
of materials is also highlighted in both energy storage applications
and magnetoresistive devices. Through a combination of iterative synthetic
efforts, characterization studies, and systematic investigations into
electrical devices incorporating MPc-based MOFs, this Account demonstrates
that these materials are prime candidates for use in electronically
transduced devices where molecular-level control can be leveraged
to maximize device performance metrics. Taken together, these achievements
establish MPc-based MOFs as a promising class of materials with high
potential within the field of functional nanoscience.