Investigating large-grain two-dimensional Zn2(benzimidazole)4 film with thickness of 10 nm

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly adaptable materials with tunable, ordered structures, making them ideal for various applications, including complex molecular separations. Our group has pioneered unit-cell-thick MOF films that exhibit exceptional separation performance, surpassing state-of-the-art membranes1-3. Our next objective is to fabricate a single-crystal 2D MOF film with an extremely high aspect ratio—achieving grain sizes of 1 mm or larger while maintaining a thickness of just one unit cell (~2 nm). This approach aims to minimize the impact of grain-boundary defects on molecular transport. To accomplish this, we have developed an innovative synthesis strategy. Utilizing BM01 beamtime at CRG at ESRF, we seek to analyze the orientation, grain size, and texture of the 2D MOF film. The insights gained will enable us to refine our synthesis method, ultimately leading to the first-ever single-crystal MOF film with a macroscopic lateral size (1 cm or more), pushing the boun