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Rare-earth (RE)-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are quickly gaining popularity as flexible functional materials in a variety of technological fields. These MOFs are useful for more than just conventional uses like gas sensors and catalyst materials; in fact, they also show significant promise in emerging technologies including photovoltaics, optical, and biomedical applications. Using yttrium and europium as ionic host centres and dopants, respectively, and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (H3-BTC) as an organic linker, we describe a simple and green approach for the fabrication of RE-MOFs. Specifically, Y-BTCs and Eu-doped Y-BTCs MOFs have been synthesised in a single step using an eco-friendly method that makes use of ultrasound technology. To establish a correlation between the morphological and structural properties and reaction conditions, a range of distinct reaction periods has been employed for the synthetic processes. Detailed analyses of the synthesised samples through powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) have confirmed the phase formation. Furthermore, thermal analyses such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) have been employed to evaluate the thermal stability and structural modifications of the Y-BTC and Eu-doped Y-BTC samples. Finally, the luminescent properties of the synthesised samples doped with Eu3+ have been assessed, providing an evaluation of their characteristics. As a proof of concept, an Eu-doped Y-BTC sample has been applied for the sensing of nitrobenzene as a molecule test of nitro derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper oxide thin films have been successfully synthesized through a metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) approach starting from the copper bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), Cu(tmhd)2, complex. Operative conditions of fabrication strongly affect both the composition and morphologies of the copper oxide thin films. The deposition temperature has been accurately monitored in order to stabilize and to produce, selectively and reproducibly, the two phases of cuprite Cu2O and/or tenorite CuO. The present approach has the advantages of being industrially appealing, reliable, and fast for the production of thin films over large areas with fine control of both composition and surface uniformity. Moreover, the methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) active layer has been successfully deposited on the ITO/Cu2O substrate by the Low Vacuum Proximity Space Effusion (LV-PSE) technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses have been used to characterize the deposited films. The optical band gap (Eg), ranging from 1.99 to 2.41 eV, has been determined through UV-vis analysis, while the electrical measurements allowed to establish the p-type conductivity behavior of the deposited Cu2O thin films with resistivities from 31 to 83 Ω cm and carrier concentration in the order of 1.5–2.8 × 1016 cm−3. These results pave the way for potential applications of the present system as a hole transporting layer combined with a perovskite active layer in emergent solar cell technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]