Millimeter-scale semiconductive metal-organic framework single crystal for X-ray imaging

One of the bottleneck issues in the design of semiconductive metal-organic frameworks is the growth of high-quality single crystals large enough for device fabrication. Here, we report the synthesis and crystal growth of a millimeter-scale semiconductive metal-organic framework (MOF; UO2(SC6H4COO)2(DMF), SCU-15) and further investigate its electrical properties. The single crystal of SCU-15 shows a charge-carrier mobility-lifetime product (μτ) of 2.18 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 and presents a carrier diffusion length exceeding 70 μm under X-ray excitation, which enables a significantly enhanced photocurrent response and detection sensitivity compared with those of the pelleted polycrystalline sample. As a proof of concept, a planar 2 × 3 pixelated detector is constructed to show its potential application in X-ray imaging. This work discloses an example of a millimeter pixel detector based on semiconductive MOF crystals, heralding the opportunity to develop a new generation of radiation-detection sensors.