In collaboration with Prof. Coclite's lab at TU Graz, we report the solvent-free powder synthesis and thin film CVD of a crystalline coordination polymer obtained from the reaction of ZnO with a vaporized bipyridyl-triazole linker.

Following the proof-of-concept work on the chemical vapor deposition of metal-organic frameworks (MOF-CVD) and a demonstration of its potential in microelectronics integration, we now present the fully cleanroom-compatible process for the deposition of large-area MOFs. Led by Alex, the output of this international collaboration was recently published in Chemistry of Materials. In this work, we thoroughly discussed the optimization process and unraveled the mechanism of vapor-phase deposition. The info in this paper will help to bring MOFs a step closer to the industrial-scale microfabrication lines and the production of MOF-based devices.

This fall, we welcome new group members working on various projects on MOF thin films and 3D printing. (L-R) Bart, our new lab manager, will ensure the smooth and safe operations in our facilities in both Leuven Chem&Tech and the NanoCentre, while Fei joins the 3D printing workforce. We would also want to congratulate Lore and Giel for their FWO Ph.D. fellowships, and Victor for his grant as a postdoctoral researcher in the framework of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Seal of Excellence.

Although generally stable, ZIFs can undergo post‐synthetic linker exchange (PSLE) in solution under mild conditions. In this work, Joao led an international team of researchers and reported this novel, solvent‐free approach to post‐synthetic linker exchange through exposure to linker vapor. The paper can be accessed here or on the Publications page of our website.

This year, seven brilliant and dynamic M. Sc. students from the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering join the group for their master thesis projects. (top, L-R) Jochen, Emilie, Laura, Jonas, (bottom, L-R), Jorid, Margot, and Dieter will be working on different projects on new deposition technologies for metal-organic framework thin films and their applications in gas sensing and membrane technologies, as well as 3D-printed platforms for catalysis and point-of-care diagnostics. We are so enthused to welcome our biggest batch of students (so far!) and we are looking forward to having fun in the lab (and in the cleanroom) with these kiddos!

With 100 participants from different synchrotron users, Alex's poster, entitled, "*An integrated cleanroom process for the deposition of large-area MOFs", was chosen as the Best Poster in the recently concluded workshop at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble.

Collaborative work on the *role of structural defects in the adsorption and separation of C3 hydrocarbons in Zr-fumarate-MOF (MOF-801)* is now published in ACS Chemistry of Materials. Led by Llwellyn's Group in Marseille, this work was made possible by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Innovative Training Network, DEFNET (DEFect NETwork Materials Science and Engineering), a trans-European consortium of 9 academic institutions and 7 partner organizations. We are happy to be part of this collaboration! Check out this paper through this [link][1] or in the [Publications][2] tab of our site. [1]: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemmater.9b02322 [2]: http://amelootgroup.org/publications/

We are delighted to announce that we are one of the 62 European Research Council (ERC) grant holders who received a Proof of Concept grant, "LO-KMOF - Vapour-deposited metal-organic frameworks as high-performance gap-filling dielectrics for nanoelectronics”, which builds on the ERC 2016 Starting grant “VAPORE - Vapor deposition of crystalline porous solids".

Our Cu-MOF-CVD paper, entitled, "Vapour-phase deposition of oriented copper dicarboxylate metal-organic framework thin films", is ChemComm's front cover for September 2019 issue.

Our work on the vapor-deposited zeolitic imidazolate frameworks as gap-filling ultra-low-k dielectrics has now been published in Nature Communications. Here we report a strategy for the integration of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as gap-filling low-k dielectrics in advanced on-chip interconnects. The proposed strategy is validated for thin films of the zeolitic imidazolate frameworks ZIF-8 and ZIF-67, formed in 2-methylimidazole vapor from ALD ZnO and native CoOx, respectively. Both materials show a Young’s modulus and dielectric constant comparable to state-of-the-art porous organosilica dielectrics.