Wet-lithographic processing of coordination compounds

Coordination compounds have been applied in many fields of technology, such as electronics, optics and optoelectronics, information storage, sensing and magnetism. These materials are designed to incorporate a variety of functional properties, and at the same time are gifted with functional groups that control their interactions and assembly in the solid state. In order to integrate coordination compounds in solid-state devices, the control of their assembly should not only be at the molecular level but also at different length scales since the precise positioning and size-control of the individual assembled structures are needed. In this direction, wet-lithographic techniques play a key role in the manufacture and application of micro- and nanostructures based on soluble coordination compounds. This review provides an overview of wet-lithographic methods applied to patterning of coordination compounds, highlighting some of the recent advances and the major criticisms. The first part is focused on probe-assisted methods while the second part is focused on stamp-assisted ones. Eventually, a section on the combination of wet and conventional lithographic methods is presented. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.