Graphene Conductance Modulation through Controlled Molecular Release in a Hybrid Coordination Polymer/Graphene Field-Effect Transistor

Coordination polymers, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), present a wide range of functionalities ranging from sensing to energy storage. Despite this, many coordination polymers are typically insulating which prevents their implementation into nanoscale electronic devices. Besides, the hybridization of MOFs with other conducting materials, like graphene, is rather unexplored. Here we introduce the grafting of a soft non-porous coordination polymer, the 1·2CH3CN, on a single-layer graphene to form a hybrid 1·2CH3CN/graphene field effect transistor. Electron transport measurements show that the sharp structural transformations in 1·2CH3CN, triggered at two specific temperatures, are detected in graphene as two sharp increments in the electrical current. Gate spectroscopy measurements show that the origin of the electrical modulation is an abrupt p-doping due to the sudden release of acetonitrile right at the structural transition temperatures. Reciprocally, the sensitivity of graphene to external perturbations allows to detect additional transformations in the coordination polymer not observed in direct transport measurements across crystals. Finally, the results have been reproduced in in-situ grown 1·2CH3CN nanoscale films on CVDG FETs. This simple method optimizes the contact area between graphene and 1·2CH3CN and facilitates the integration of coordination polymers with van der Waals materials and electronic devices. Further, a selective doping at specific temperatures could be obtained by modifying the nature of the interstitial molecule in 1.