Primary studyCore evidenceThin Film Device

Photoactivated conductive MOF thin film arrays on micro-LEDs for chemiresistive gas sensing

Lee K., Jo Y.-M., Sohn M.S. et al. · Nature Communications · 2025 · 9612

3materials
21samples
4synthesis routes
13measurements
52results
9claims and caveats

Evidence map

Open a family to keep every result attached to its sample, method and conditions.

Author interpretations and caveats

Paraphrased for this database from the authors’ stated interpretations — never quoted verbatim — and kept separate from reported measurements.

Application RelevanceSupport assessment: High

A four-sensor cMOF-uLED array can distinguish EtOH, TMA, NH3 and NO2 with 99.8% classification accuracy and 7.94% concentration MAE at 587 uW total power.

Caveat: Deep-learning results depend on data augmentation and tested gas/concentration set; mixed-gas deployment remains a future application challenge.

8 · Discussion · Fig. 6 · Linked to 4 structured results

CaveatSupport assessment: Medium

CuHHTP thin films contain agglomerated particles from the rapid LBL process; final SI states these particles are agglomerated Cu3HHTP2 and batch-to-batch deviations remain below 10%, but reviewer concern about roughness-sensing interpretation persisted.

Caveat: This caveat combines final SI description with peer-review context; it should not be treated as a final quantitative morphology-performance proof.

13 · Supplementary Figures · Supplementary Fig. 6

Composite RoleSupport assessment: Medium

The Co3HHTP2 overlayer enhances TMA sensitivity because TMA binds more strongly to Co sites than Cu or Ni sites, and signal changes in Co3HHTP2 can transfer to the conductive Cu3HHTP2 base layer.

Caveat: Co/Ni overlayer crystallinity and epitaxy are not directly proven; authors revised away stronger local alloy claims.

5 · Results · Fig. 3b; Fig. 4 · Linked to 5 structured results

Phase AssignmentSupport assessment: Medium

LBL-coated CuHHTP-xC thin films are assigned as Cu3HHTP2 because Raman peak positions match crystalline Cu3HHTP2 powder and XPS confirms Cu, C and O.

Caveat: Thin-film crystallinity is not directly quantified by PXRD in the main text; powder PXRD is only for the reference powder.

4 · Results · Fig. 2b; Supplementary Fig. 3 · Linked to 2 structured results

Structure Property LinkSupport assessment: Medium

Thicker Cu3HHTP2 films increase EtOH response but suppress NH3 and NO2 response because strongly adsorptive gases are filtered near the film surface.

Caveat: The gas-filtering mechanism is inferred from response trends and transient slowing; no diffusion coefficient is reported.

4 · Results · Fig. 2d-g · Linked to 7 structured results

Structure Property LinkSupport assessment: Medium

UV and blue uLED photons are suitable for exciting the HHTP pi-pi* transition because the transition gaps of CuHHTP and CoHHTP films are close to the LED photon energies.

Caveat: UV-vis/Tauc analysis supports optical excitation, but detailed carrier dynamics are not directly measured.

7 · Results · Supplementary Fig. 23 · Linked to 3 structured results

Synthesis MechanismSupport assessment: Medium

Increasing LBL cycle number increases Cu3HHTP2 film amount/thickness, with a sharp resistance decrease through cycle 5 attributed to increased material and lateral interconnection, and a slower decrease after cycle 5 attributed to vertical growth plus possible defect healing.

Caveat: Authors state lateral connectivity is difficult to confirm directly by SEM; rough/agglomerated particles complicate AFM thickness.

4 · Results · Fig. 2e-f · Linked to 3 structured results

Transport MechanismSupport assessment: Medium

Light-generated electron-hole pairs accelerate reverse reactions/desorption for strongly adsorbed NO2, improving recovery and enabling reversible repeated sensing.

Caveat: Quantitative recovery-rate constants are not tabulated in the extracted text; Figure 5f time-series source data are available but not reduced to a fitted rate in the article.

7 · Results · Fig. 5f · Linked to 3 structured results

Transport MechanismSupport assessment: High

uLED illumination improves sensing/recovery through photoactivation rather than photothermal heating, because continuous blue L2 operation caused less than 0.5 C surface-temperature change.

Caveat: Temperature rise was measured for blue uLED conditions; UV high-intensity conditions were avoided because of possible MOF conductivity damage.

7 · Results · Supplementary Figs. 24-25 · Linked to 2 structured results

Material identities

Names and aliases are kept exactly within the paper’s own identity model.

MaterialCompositionStructure contextSource
Co3HHTP2Browse family: Co₃(HHTP)₂ / Co–HHTPCo3(HHTP)2Co · HHTP; H6HHTP2D · PristineCu3HHTP2 analogue used as an overlayer; described as sharing a similar hexagonal structure but too resistive as a standalone thin-film chemiresistor.2 · Introduction
Cu3HHTP2Browse family: Cu₃(HHTP)₂ / Cu–HHTPCu3(HHTP)2Cu · HHTP; H6HHTP = 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene2D · Pristine2D conductive M3HHTP2 framework with hexagonal pores; phase matched to crystalline Cu3HHTP2 powder by Raman.2 · Introduction · Fig. 1a
Ni3HHTP2Browse family: Ni₃(HHTP)₂ / Ni–HHTPNi3(HHTP)2Ni · HHTP; H6HHTP2D · PristineCu3HHTP2 analogue used as an overlayer; described as sharing a similar hexagonal structure but too resistive as a standalone thin-film chemiresistor.2 · Introduction

Sample register

Sample form, processing state and composition status define the context for measurements.

Show 21 sample records
SampleForm and roleProcessing and geometrySource
CoHHTP-1C/CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_co_hhtpThin Film · Composite Sample · Composite1 overlayer LBL cycle after 5 CuHHTP cyclesCuHHTP-5C on Au-interdigitated silicon substrate · Co overlayer 1 cycle on CuHHTP-5C; exact thickness not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 3a
CoHHTP-3C/CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_co_hhtpThin Film · Composite Sample · Composite3 overlayer LBL cycles after 5 CuHHTP cyclesCuHHTP-5C on Au-interdigitated silicon substrate · Co overlayer 3 cycles on CuHHTP-5C; exact thickness not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 3a
CoHHTP-5C/CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_co_hhtpThin Film · Composite Sample · Composite5 overlayer LBL cycles after 5 CuHHTP cyclesCuHHTP-5C on Au-interdigitated silicon substrate · Co overlayer 5 cycles on CuHHTP-5C; exact thickness not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 3a
CoHHTP-7C/CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_co_hhtpThin Film · Target Sample · Composite7 overlayer LBL cycles after 5 CuHHTP cyclesCuHHTP-5C on Au-interdigitated silicon substrate; uLED substrate for TMA optimised device · Co overlayer 7 cycles on CuHHTP-5C; exact thickness not text-reported7 · Results · Fig. 5e
Co3HHTP2 monolayer DFT modelresearch_0683__mat__mat_co_hhtpModel · Model System · ModelDFT model20 Angstrom vacuum slab · monolayer model9 · Methods - DFT calculations · Fig. 4
CuHHTP-11Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpThin Film · Pristine Control · Pristine Framework11 LBL cyclesAu-interdigitated silicon substrate · Thickness increased with coating cycles; exact value not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 2d
CuHHTP-13Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpThin Film · Pristine Control · Pristine Framework13 LBL cyclesAu-interdigitated silicon substrate · Thickness increased with coating cycles; exact value not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 2d
CuHHTP-15Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpThin Film · Target Sample · Pristine Framework15 LBL cyclesAu-interdigitated silicon substrate; uLED substrate for EtOH optimised device · Thickness increased with coating cycles; exact value not text-reported7 · Results · Fig. 5e
CuHHTP-1Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpThin Film · Pristine Control · Pristine Framework1 LBL cycleAu-interdigitated silicon substrate or Si substrate · Too thin to be measured accurately in Supplementary Fig. 411 · Supplementary Figures · Supplementary Fig. 4
CuHHTP-3Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpThin Film · Pristine Control · Pristine Framework3 LBL cyclesAu-interdigitated silicon substrate or Si substrate · Discontinuities in cross-sectional view11 · Supplementary Figures · Supplementary Fig. 4
CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpThin Film · Pristine Control · Pristine Framework5 LBL cyclesAu-interdigitated silicon substrate; also integrated on uLED substrate for devices · 108 nm in main text; 108.80597014925372 nm source-data mean4 · Results · Fig. 2c
CuHHTP-5C on micro-LED platformresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpElectrode · Target Sample · Compositemonolithic photoactivated cMOF-uLED array sensoruLED platform with SiO2 insulation and Au interdigitated electrode · CuHHTP-5C; cMOF-light-source distance 1 um6 · Integration of cMOFs and uLP · Fig. 5a-c
CuHHTP-7Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpThin Film · Pristine Control · Pristine Framework7 LBL cyclesAu-interdigitated silicon substrate · Thickness increased with coating cycles; exact value not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 2d
CuHHTP-9Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpThin Film · Pristine Control · Pristine Framework9 LBL cyclesAu-interdigitated silicon substrate · Thickness increased with coating cycles; exact value not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 2d
Cu3HHTP2 monolayer DFT modelresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpModel · Model System · ModelDFT model20 Angstrom vacuum slab · monolayer model9 · Methods - DFT calculations · Fig. 4
Cu3HHTP2 powdersresearch_0683__mat__mat_cu_hhtpPowder · Pristine Control · Pristine Frameworkcrystalline powder reference for Raman/PXRD comparison3 · Results · Fig. 2b
NiHHTP-1C/CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_ni_hhtpThin Film · Composite Sample · Composite1 overlayer LBL cycle after 5 CuHHTP cyclesCuHHTP-5C on Au-interdigitated silicon substrate · Ni overlayer 1 cycle on CuHHTP-5C; exact thickness not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 3a
NiHHTP-3C/CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_ni_hhtpThin Film · Composite Sample · Composite3 overlayer LBL cycles after 5 CuHHTP cyclesCuHHTP-5C on Au-interdigitated silicon substrate · Ni overlayer 3 cycles on CuHHTP-5C; exact thickness not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 3a
NiHHTP-5C/CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_ni_hhtpThin Film · Composite Sample · Composite5 overlayer LBL cycles after 5 CuHHTP cyclesCuHHTP-5C on Au-interdigitated silicon substrate · Ni overlayer 5 cycles on CuHHTP-5C; exact thickness not text-reported4 · Results · Fig. 3a
NiHHTP-7C/CuHHTP-5Cresearch_0683__mat__mat_ni_hhtpThin Film · Composite Sample · Composite7 overlayer LBL cycles after 5 CuHHTP cyclesCuHHTP-5C on Au-interdigitated silicon substrate · Ni overlayer 7 cycles on CuHHTP-5C; exact thickness not text-reported5 · Results · Fig. 3b; Supplementary Fig. 15
Ni3HHTP2 monolayer DFT modelresearch_0683__mat__mat_ni_hhtpModel · Model System · ModelDFT model20 Angstrom vacuum slab · monolayer model9 · Methods - DFT calculations · Fig. 4