Fabrication of free‐standing ultrathin films of porous metal‐organic frameworks by liquid‐phase epitaxy and subsequent delamination

In this work we describe an approach to fabricate MOF (metal‐organic framework) platelets with predefined shapes and well‐defined thicknesses. The process is based on growing thin, highly oriented and ordered MOF films by selective liquid‐phase epitaxy on prestructured organic substrates. In a second step, the MOF platelets are delaminated employing a lift‐off process. The freestanding MOF platelets were characterized with TEM and SEM, which showed no evidence of fracture or deformation of the delaminated shapes. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)