Raman Marker Bands for In-situ Quality Control During Synthesis Of Two-Dimensional Conjugated Metal-Organic Frameworks

This data collection contains the raw data for the manuscript that is described by the following abstract: Reproducibility in the synthesis of complex materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) remains a major challenge. Under seemingly identical experimental conditions, a distribution of MOF crystals with different structural properties is obtained resulting in a heterogeneous performance. For quality assurance, analytical techniques and protocols are needed to predict MOF crystal quality already during the synthesis process. In this work, we use in-situ Raman spectroscopy to monitor the formation of two-dimensional phthalocyanine-based MOFs at the air-water interface. Raman marker bands are identified that visualise the competing processes of linker aggregation and MOF formation. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements on the MOF crystals after synthesis, a correlation between the Raman marker bands and the resulting crystalline domain size distribution of the MOF can be derived. This non-invasive, fast, and simple in-situ quality assessment method marks a significant step towards automated MOF synthesis.