Pen-type lithography creates a framework of copper(II)-based HKUST-1 crystals on a surface by directly adding femtoliter droplets containing both inorganic and organic building block precursors, report Daniel Maspoch and co-workers, Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology, Spain. This is a first step towards the possible integration of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) onto supports for the fabrication of complex surface sensors, separation membranes, drug-delivery platforms, and catalysts.

HKUST-1 has been keenly investigated as a MOF over the last few years, but the approach to “printing” crystal arrays should be equally applicable to other MOF materials and to screening of novel MOFs for functionality.

• Single-Crystal Metal−Organic Framework Arrays
  C. Carbonell, I. Imaz, D. Maspoch,
  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011.
  DOI: 10.1021/ja2002428