Structural characterization and optical properties of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8) for solid-state electronics applications

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8) thin films were fabricated via layer by a layer deposition method. The investigation of X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the ZIF-8 powder form was seen to be polycrystalline with a single cubic-phase structure. The lattice parameters and Miller index were calculated using Rietveld refinement by Fuliprof software. XRD of ZIF-8 film demonstrates an amorphous structure. The morphology of the ZIF-8 films has therefore been studied with the scanning laser microscope method and found that the homogeneity and surface enhance with increasing the film thickness. On the other hand, it is found that ZIF-8 films have a direct electronic transition with two energy bandgaps (3.62 and 4.58 eV) and their values independent of the thickness of the films. The optical constants were calculated, and the refractive index esteems increment with expanding of the film thickness. This outcome might be credited to the interlude of the film in the preliminary phase of the deposition. The nonlinear optical constants for ZIF-8 film were calculated, and the third-order optical nonlinearity was expanded with expanding the film thickness.