Laser-assisted printing of electrodes using metal–organic frameworks for micro-supercapacitors

Direct laser scribing, an advanced printing technique, has been recently developed to enable the carbonization of carbonaceous precursors in a rapid, precise, and cost-effective manner. Herein, it is reported that metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) can be converted into patterned derived carbon with desired structural features using a CO2 infrared laser system. Metal species in MOFs play a key role in the morphology, porous structure, and crystallinity of the resulting laser-induced products by studying six representative MOFs. Diverse features such as ordered porous structure and continuous network microstructure can be obtained in the laser-induced MOF-derived carbon, which is influenced by the melting and boiling points of metals and their magnetic and catalytic behaviors. Furthermore, a core–shell structured composite (MOF-199@ZIF-67) has been designed and prepared for the fabrication of 12-interdigital electrodes derived from the composite by laser-assisted printing. The as-obtained electrodes with highly porous and hierarchical structure show an enhanced specific capacitance for micro-supercapacitors (MSCs). This work provides a complementary heat treatment method to produce MOF-derived carbon nanomaterials with desired structural features and patterns for MSCs and micro-device-related applications. Nanyang Technological University This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22075248). The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (Core Fund), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.