In our recent review published in Catal, we present a comprehensive overview of the role of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as electrocatalysts in key electrooxidation reactions. These reactions—including oxygen evolution (OER), hydrogen oxidation (HOR), alcohol oxidation (AOR), urea oxidation (UOR), and glucose oxidation (GOR)—are central to advancing sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation technologies.
Highlights of our review:
- Structural Versatility: MOFs offer highly tunable architectures, large surface areas, and atomically dispersed active sites, making them ideal platforms for electrocatalysis.
- Catalyst Design Strategies: We discuss how metal node engineering, ligand functionalization, and composite formation can significantly enhance catalytic activity, selectivity, and durability.
- Mechanistic Insights: Through both experimental and theoretical studies, we explore how reaction pathways vary with catalyst structure and operating conditions.
- Green Chemistry Applications: MOFs enable efficient transformation of biomass-derived molecules into value-added chemicals such as formic acid, contributing to carbon neutrality goals.
While MOFs have demonstrated remarkable promise, challenges remain in improving their electrochemical stability and scalability. We propose future directions including the development of conductive and robust MOFs, integration with synergistic materials, and the use of in situ characterization and computational modeling to guide rational catalyst design.
Authors & Affiliations:
- Kunpeng Yang, Yuanjun Liu* – School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China
- Yingxin Wang, Yuxuan Jiang, Ran Wang*†, Huan Pang*† – School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Guoxing Zhu – School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China & Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang, China
(Corresponding authors: liuyuanjun@just.edu.cn, ranwang@yzu.edu.cn, huanpangchem@hotmail.com)