# Time-Resolved In Situ Liquid-Phase Atomic Force Microscopy and Infrared Nanospectroscopy during the Formation of Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films Source: [Time-Resolved In Situ Liquid-Phase Atomic Force Microscopy and Infrared Nanospectroscopy during the Formation of Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films]() Collection index: [llms.txt]() Data updated: 2025-10-25T00:34:53.424Z Authors: Laurens D. B. Mandemaker, Matthias Filez, Guusje Delen, Huanshu Tan, Xuehua Zhang, Detlef Lohse, Bert M. Weckhuysen Published: 2020-02-03T12:49:18.000Z ## Abstract Metal-organic framework (MOF) thin-films show unmatched promise as smart membranes and photo-catalytic coatings. However, their nucleation and growth resulting from intricate molecular assembly processes are not well understood, yet crucial to control the thin-film properties. Here, we directly observe the nucleation and growth behaviour of HKUST-1 thin-films by real-time in-situ AFM at different temperatures in the Cu-BTC solution. In combination with ex-situ infrared (nano-)spectroscopy, synthesis at 25{\\deg}C reveals initial nucleation of rapidly growing HKUST-1 islands surrounded by a continuously nucleating, but slowly growing HKUST-1 carpet. Monitoring at 13{\\deg}C and 50{\\deg}C shows the strong impact of temperature on thin-film formation, resulting in (partial) nucleation and growth inhibition. The nucleation and growth mechanisms as well as their kinetics provide insights to aid in future rational design of MOF thin-films. ## Recorded benchmark results A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage. ## Original sources and implementation [Original paper]() [PDF]()