Polymer Matrix Incorporated with ZIF-8 for Application in Nonlinear Optics.

Yuri A Mezenov,Pavel V Alekseevskiy,Sergey S Rzhevskiy,Nikita K Kulachenkov,Vyacheslav Dyachuk,Venera D Gilemkhanova,Semyon V Bachinin,Andrei N Yankin,Valentin A Milichko

doi:10.3390/nano10061036

Abstract

Polymers with embedded metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been of interest in research for advanced applications in gas separation, catalysis and sensing due to their high porosity and chemical selectivity. In this study, we utilize specific MOFs with high thermal stability and non-centrosymmetric crystal structures (zeolitic imidazolate framework, ZIF-8) in order to give an example of MOF–polymer composite applications in nonlinear optics. The synthesized MOF-based polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) composite (ZIF-8–PMMA) demonstrates the possibility of the visualization of near-infrared laser beams in the research lab. The resulting ZIF-8–PMMA composite is exposed to a laser under extreme conditions and exhibits enhanced operating limits, much higher than that of the widely used inorganic materials in optics. Overall, our findings support the utilization of MOFs for synthesis of functional composites for optical application.

Highlights

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a new class of crystalline materials consisting of metal-containing nodes connected by multitopic organic linkers
The fabrication of MOF thin films and the integration with polymers [11] can trigger the development of new chemical technology [12] for the fabrication of active optical elements compatible with industrial devices and optical metrology
MOF compounds such as ZIF-8, UiO-66, MIL-101, MIL-53, and HKUST-1 and others [11] are incorporated into thermoplastic polymer matrices such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polysulfone (PSF), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF)

Summary

Introduction

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a new class of crystalline materials consisting of metal-containing nodes connected by multitopic organic linkers. The features of the crystal structure of specific MOFs, such as structural diversity [4], the lack of an inversion center (non-centrosymmetric) [5], and high resistance to heating [6] and humidity [7], open up new perspectives for using them as active materials for nonlinear optical devices [8,9,10]. From a physical point of view, the latter allows one to successfully employ the specific physical properties of MOFs, such as the generation of high optical harmonics and structural resistance under extreme conditions, in nonlinear optical applications.

Results

Conclusion