An overview of different strategies to introduce conductivity in metal-organic frameworks and miscellaneous applications thereof

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are known to possess many interesting material properties such as high specific surface area, tailorable porosity, adsorption/absorption capabilities, post-synthetic modifications, and chemical/thermal stabilities. Because of these unique features, they have been explored for the development of sensors for a variety of analytes. A large proportion of pre-existing MOF-based sensors are well suited for optical transductions due to a lack of electrical conduction in their pristine forms. Hence, the development of MOF-based electrochemical/electrical sensors requires specialized strategies through which MOFs are modified or hybridized with enhanced conductive moieties (e.g., via doping or post synthetic modification). In this review article, we provide a comprehensive review of various synthetic and integrating strategies to improve electrical conductivity and long-range charge transport properties in MOFs. To this end, we have compiled details of different techniques that have been used to develop electrically/electrochemically active platforms for MOF-based sensing of various targets.