Probing the complex dielectric properties of MOFs

Gaining fundamental insights into the full dielectric behaviour of MOFs across the infrared and THz.

An international team of researchers from Oxford, Diamond, and Turin, has demonstrated the novel use of synchrotron radiation infrared (SRIR) reflectivity experiments, to measure the complex and broadband dielectric properties of metal-organic framework (MOFs) materials. Open framework compounds like MOFs have the potential to revolutionise the field of low-k dielectrics, because of their tuneable porosity coupled with an enormous combination of physicochemical properties not found in conventional systems. Furthermore, next generation IR optical sensors and high-speed terahertz (THz) communication technologies will stand to benefit from an improved understanding of the fundamental structure-property relations underpinning novel THz dielectric materials.

>Read more on the Diamond Light Source website

Image: (extract) The high-resolution reflectivity data obtained were subsequently used to determine the real and imaginary components of the complex dielectric function by adopting the Kramers−Kronig Transformation theory.
Credit: ACS