Metal-Organic Framework Single Crystals as Photoactive Matrices for the Generation of Metallic Microstructures

The photocatalytic properties of MOF-5, a highly porous metal-organic framework (MOF) material, can be exploited to generate metallic patterns by direct laser writing. The strict confinement of photoreduction to the focal volume of the laser beam, where irradiation intensity is highest, allows the generation of 3D metallic structures inside a single MOF-5 crystal.