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Customized moiré patterns achieved using stacked metal-organic framework layers

Twisted bilayer MOFs enable customized moiré length scales, paving the way for advances in twistronics and quantum materials
Dodecagonal quasiperiodic patterns of isoreticular Zr-MOFs. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62247-2

When two mesh screens or fabrics are overlapped with a slight offset, moiré patterns emerge as a result of interference caused by the misalignment of the grids. While these patterns are commonly recognized as optical illusions in everyday life, their significance extends to the nanoscale, such as in materials like graphene, where they can profoundly influence electronic properties.

This phenomenon opens new avenues for advancements in areas like superconductivity and quantum effects. Traditionally, controlling the length scales of moiré patterns has been challenging due to the fixed nature of atomic structures, which limits the ability to fine-tune .

A research team, led by Professor Wonyoung Choe at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea, has demonstrated, for the first time, the ability to precisely control over moiré periods by stacking (MOFs) layers—crystalline materials composed of metal clusters linked by .

today in Nature Communications, this study introduces a chemically programmable platform for engineering moiré systems with customized length scales, opening new avenues in the fields of twistronics, photonics, and quantum information science.

By varying the length of organic linkers in zirconium-based two-dimensional (2D) MOFs and stacking these layers at a range of twist angles, the team achieved precise modulation of moiré periodicity dictated by ligand lengths. Molecular dynamics simulations from Professor Jihan Kim's team at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) confirmed the energetic stability of the bilayer MOFs and identified preferred stacking configurations, aligning with experimental observations.

Twisted bilayer MOFs enable customized moiré length scales, paving the way for advances in twistronics and quantum materials
Dodecagonal and octagonal quasiperiodic patterns demonstrated by twisted bilayer MOFs with hxl, kgd (with a twist angle of 30 degrees), and sql, sql-b topologies (with a twist angle of 45 degrees), respectively. See also Supplementary Figs. 23, 24. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62247-2

A particularly notable finding was the emergence of dodecagonal quasiperiodic patterns at a 30° twist angle—exhibiting 12-fold rotational symmetry. Visualized via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and modeled through Stampfli tiling, these are quasiperiodic in nature and have the potential to subtly influence electron behavior.

Jiyeon Kim, a postdoctoral fellow and first author, remarked, "Quasiperiodic patterns without repeating units can introduce subtle modulations in electron behavior. This opens new avenues for precisely tuning the electronic and optical properties of moiré materials."

Professor Wonyoung Choe emphasized, "MOFs serve as tunable molecular frameworks—an effective 'dial' for adjusting lattice spacing—and this platform will accelerate the development of next-generation twistronic and quantum devices."

More information: Isoreticular Moiré Metal-Organic Frameworks with Quasiperiodicity, Nature Communications (2025). .

Journal information: Nature Communications

Citation: Customized moiré patterns achieved using stacked metal-organic framework layers (2025, August 13) retrieved 13 August 2025 from /news/2025-08-customized-moir-patterns-stacked-metal.html
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